


Roy Causes Mischief and Gilbert Should Thank Him

by Rozmund



Category: Anne of Green Gables - L. M. Montgomery, Anne with an E (TV)
Genre: F/M, First Kiss, Fluff, Jealousy, Mild Smut, Roy forces Gilbert to do something about Anne, Wedding
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-01
Updated: 2020-01-27
Packaged: 2021-01-16 12:04:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 19
Words: 27,571
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21270767
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rozmund/pseuds/Rozmund
Summary: In which Roy Gardner comes into the picture, full of mischief and more than happy to push Gilbert into acting on his feelings for Anne. Set after Season 3, episode 6.





	1. Enter Roy Gardner

Anne returned from the exam with Cole, exhausted but happy. She knew Aunt Jo had planned a small party in celebration, and while Anne rather wished she could spend the evening resting, she would never refuse Aunt Jo’s hospitality.

After Billy threatened her a tad too forcefully about her article (he had managed only a blow to her cheek before she got away, but the words he used were enough to convey the full, terrible message), the adults decided that Anne must leave for a while until they could be sure that the situation was under control. She despaired of leaving her friends so soon before the exam, but Diana helped her see reason.

“My dearest heart,” Diana said, clasping her hands. “My soul would never heal if I knew anything had happened to you. Better to write each other at a distance, knowing you’re safe. And perhaps,” she ventured more carefully, “some time apart from Avonlea will be better. Before all of our, er, classmates are together in Charlottetown.”

Anne had to admit that Diana had a point on that one. It was much easier to throw herself into her books at Aunt Jo’s where she didn’t waste precious energy every day of her life to keep from sobbing when she encountered Gilbert Blythe. She hadn’t seen him since that awful day at school, and at least now she had months to mend her broken heart before she faced him again. Aunt Jo even arranged for her to take the exam in Charlottetown. To be sure, she avoided the parts of town that he frequented, just in case.

And when the tears flowed freely, she had Cole. He’d had his own first heartbreak a few months earlier (though even he would conclude it was less acute than Anne’s), and a more wondrous companion for wallowing, sighing, sobbing, laughing, imagining, and plotting could not be found. Cole sculpted Anne’s every lovely feature and she composed him the most tragical poems.

And so they came to the end of the month, spent but far more contented than they had been when they started. On the way home, they began to plot their adventures for the next two months, since Cole’s art school was also on a summer break and the Cuthberts had agreed that Anne should remain at Aunt Jo’s for now. Anne missed them terribly, but she didn’t want to alarm them by returning home while they remained concerned about Billy.

Before the remaining adventures could begin, though, they would celebrate tonight with a few of Aunt Jo’s dearest friends and a contingent of Cole’s art school classmates. Anne couldn’t wait to meet all the friends that she and Cole discussed endlessly to see if Cole had represented them accurately.

. . .

Roy Gardner might take a certain pride in his troublemaker reputation, but he did have some principles. Principle one – he didn’t set out to deceive anyone (well, unless they deserved it). Principle two – he didn’t take liberties with unwilling partners (willing partners not being difficult to find in certain circles). Principle three – he did everything in his power to make those he loved feel his admiration as much as possible. He may have not even reached twenty, but he felt that as a real man he must maintain certain standards.

So by the time he finished his first delightful evening with Anne Shirley-Cuthbert in Aunt Jo’s well-appointed salon, he was resolved to live out his third principle to the fullest, even if he was somewhat regretful that principle two would prevent him from ever discovering if her rosy lips tasted as intoxicating as they looked. In fact, doing so would also violate principle one, because he had already promised his school chum Cole to treat Anne, whom Cole had repeatedly stressed he loved as much as anyone in the world, with utmost respect and caution. Roy would never break that promise, even if he wished, from the moment he laid eyes on her, that he could. Oh well, his principles wouldn’t stop him from telling her that her hair was like a lustrous, fiery waterfall and insisting that she should try a new, upswept style that was sure to show off every hint of bronze and ruby to its full potential.

Anne received his open admiration with a hint of shock, then collapsed into giggles. “Cole told me that you are an irrepressible flirt,” she said, eyes sparkling. “It’s like you’re reciting the pages of a novel. I thought only I did those things.”

“I’ve already spent two hours in your wonderful company. This is me holding myself back,” he replied smoothly, allowing his eyes to rove briefly over her tresses. “Surely you know that what I say is the truth.”

“Well, my hair may finally have darkened to auburn as I had hoped, but I still expect to get by in life with my wits, as I am far too plain to rely on my looks.” She finished her declaration matter-of-factly, expecting neither pity nor argument. She believed it to be true, and in fact was rather proud that at least she had her wits to recommend her.

_Imagine the state I’d be in otherwise, after this year_, she thought. As it was, the last month with Cole and Aunt Jo had at least restored to her some hope and desire to be a bride of adventure. She realized with a start that she was woolgathering, and Roy Gardner was watching her, speechless.

“Please tell me what fool ever gave you the notion that you are plain, and I will skewer him through.”

Anne laughed. “It’s been quite a few fools, actually.”

“How fortunate that I am an excellent swordsman, then, with boundless energy. I shall skewer them all.” His face turned serious. “You shouldn’t believe any of them. Whatever they said, it’s just flatly wrong.” His casual grin returned quickly. “I should know about beauty. I am an art student, after all.”


	2. Roy Needs a Friend

Roy Gardner was everything charming and sweet over the next two months. He and Anne were instant friends, and they, along with Cole, occupied themselves with every amusement and adventure they could find.

Occasionally, he would shock her with his bold admiration and libertine approach to love, declaring on the first night they met that he would probably have 100 lovers in his lifetime.

“Ahh, it’s a shame though,” he said once during a game of croquet with an exaggerated sigh. “If it thought for a minute that I could be a proper husband to anyone I’d make you my wife in a second. Alas, rest assured that I am doing the best thing for you by loving you only as my stunning, creative, unfailingly sweet friend.”

Anne failed to stifle a laugh at that one. “Yes, I rather think you wouldn’t be able to make a proper husband if you have to make the time for 100 lovers!” She found it amusing to listen to him wax poetic like a Renaissance nobleman, assuming he meant only about 10 percent of the things he said. He was dear to her all the same, and she was grateful to have another caring chum to soothe her heart, even if she didn’t wish to tame him into husband material.

One warm, breezy afternoon near the end of summer, the three of them set out for a picnic along the shore. As Cole sought out landscape views he could use for inspiration for his sculptures, Anne regaled Roy with stories from her life in Avonlea, finally ending with an admission about how she ended up there is the first place. Roy listened far more seriously than he normally managed, marveling at just how much this incredible creature had endured.

“I took care of so many children at the asylum. And three sets of twins! Three sets of twins is entirely too many.”

At her words, Roy’s normally unfailingly cheerful face fell. “Roy, whatever is the matter?”

“It’s nothing,” he said carefully, hoping to recover his footing without further awkwardness.

“No, it’s not.” Anne’s stubbornness wouldn’t fail her now. “How many secrets have I told you today?”

“Fine,” he muttered, “I’ll tell you just this once and then I would prefer never to speak of it again.” Anne nodded gently. “I was a twin,” he said simply.

“Was.” Anne’s voice was barely above a whisper, grasping the full, terrible meaning behind that one word.

“It was a carriage accident, two years ago.” He sounded very far away now, lost in memory. He watched Anne closely for a moment before he decided to continue. “The worst part,” he said, taking a deep breath, “is that I was cross with him that day. We were best friends, but he was taking a girl I secretly fancied out for a ride. We lost her too. I still don’t know – did he realize I was cross? Did he die thinking I was angry with him?” He struggled to suppress a sob.

Anne leaned over to look straight at him, eyes full of compassion. _Tragical stories are only exciting on paper_, she thought, and not when watching the full consequences of the tragedy play out right in front of her.

“You should talk to him,” she offered. Roy’s expression shifted from regret to confusion. “Have you visited his grave?”

“I don’t know if I can,” he said hoarsely.

“Would you like me to go with you?” she asked, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder. He stared hard into the water for a moment and nodded.

. . .

As they neared the cemetery, her normally unstoppable chatter ceased. She observed him closely as he forced himself to walk the paths of the cemetery, willing for all the world that somehow the gravestone would be gone when he reached the spot and the nightmare wouldn’t be real.

“I should go alone,” Roy rasped. “No one needs to watch this.”

Anne slipped her hand into his. “Cole watched me on the worst day of my life. I thank God every day that he didn’t leave me.”

Roy finally found the gravestone, its etched letters still fresh but the grass around it beginning to fill in. It occurred to him that each time he came, it would be a little more worn and grown over. He wondered if the ache in his heart would ever wear the same way. Finally, he gave into his grief and wept, tracing his fingers over his brother’s name.

They lingered for hours, Anne never letting go of his hand. When Roy was ready, he helped her up and they walked slowly back to the carriage.

“Thank you,” he said softly. “I felt so guilty to him that I hadn’t visited.”

“I will always go with you,” she assured him. “I would never let a friend go through such sorrow alone.”

“My darling Anne,” he teased, a hint of his usual mischief returning.

She gave a little laugh. “And how many ‘darlings’ do you have?”

He inclined his head at the truth of her question, and replied, “It’s not important. I only have one darling Anne.”

Not for the last time, Roy wished that he was the marrying kind, for he suspected there would never be another Anne in his world. Alas, he loved her too much to pretend that he was, so he would have to do the next best thing and find her a husband who deserved her.


	3. Gilbert's Day Goes from Bad to Worse

“I think it’s a splendid idea!” Roy exclaimed, clapping his hands together and standing up as though the matter had been settled. Anne had just confessed to her earlier scheme to dress up in Aunt Jo’s gown so that she could avoid the need for a chaperone. Roy had been so taken with the mental image she conjured that he was dying for her to recreate the look.

“It would be mortifying,” Anne wailed, “letting you both watch me stumble about like a grown woman when I have no idea what I’m doing.” No amount of protest would dissuade Roy, though, who promised that they would only venture out for afternoon tea and slip home before Aunt Jo returned from her calls. Eventually, Cole’s gentle assurances that she was sure to look lovely and that neither of them would tell a soul won her over.

She tottered downstairs a while later, very conscious of her enhanced figure and worried that the pins would fall from her hair any moment. She needn’t have worried about any disasters or awkwardness. Roy was so entranced with her transformation that he could scarcely find the words to convey them. Clearing his throat, he deflected a bit to hide the intensity of his own emotions. “Oh dear, it is a good thing that there are two of us to protect you today. I daresay that you will turn the head of every man we pass, and I cannot have anyone unworthy taking liberties with my darling Anne.”

Anne blushed prettily but waved away his praise. “I’ve already told you that the men don’t fall at my feet so you don’t have to waste your time on protecting me from them.”

“Oh darling,” Roy assured her with a twinkle in his eye, “I’ve told you before that you won’t have a problem attracting a man. Your problem will be fending off the cads who are only distracted by your beauty or the idiots who don’t appreciate your full potential. If any of those fellas come your way, I’m whisking you off to Paris for your own safety and marrying you off to a French comte with literary connections, as you are obviously meant to dine with Proust and the other greats.”

. . .

Gilbert was in Charlottetown for the first time in weeks, to say goodbye to Winnie one last time before her family departed on an extended tour of Europe. The past few months had been chaotic at home, between the aftermath of Billy Andrews’ disgusting behavior, the Queens examination, and a spate of illness that left both Bash and Dellie in turn quite unwell. He found the entire experience very unsettling so soon after’s Mary’s death, although in both cases they were never in grave danger. Billy, for his part, came home one day shortly after Anne disappeared looking as though he had been on the wrong end of a fight, and promptly left town to stay with a relative. Gilbert was unsurprised to hear the news but said nothing.

In the midst of this ongoing distraction, his visits with Winnie dwindled. He enjoyed her company, but it didn’t compete for his attention with the other, more important, realities of his life. In any event, whatever space was left in his mind was taken up with the mystery of Anne, whose anger with him at their last meeting and sudden disappearance had left a dull ache in his chest that refused to subside. Worse still, no one would tell him where she had gone or when she would return. Gilbert told himself a different story every day, whichever one it took to pretend that he was really okay, and that the sudden loss of her presence in his life wasn’t the first thing he thought of in the morning and the last thing he thought of before he went to sleep. He told himself that he really didn’t like her much, that his feelings would pass, that other women were much easier to manage, that she would come back and it would all be fine, or that she didn’t like him that way anyway, and on, and on. It all sounded ridiculous, even in his own head. But he had to keep his life going somehow, didn’t he? Even if he was missing Anne, he had no idea where she was, and it was killing him.

Gilbert and Winnie exchanged a friendly hug as they said goodbye. “I shall miss our teas,” he said warmly. She smiled back.

“I will remember them fondly when I am taking afternoon tea in Paris. We’ll see if I find a proper beau there to accompany me.”

“You should do that,” he agreed. “It would be a shame to take tea all by yourself.”

“If I find myself alone then I will have the time to write you a letter.”

“That will be lovely,” he said, wondering even in the moment if it would really happen. He wasn’t entirely sure what he would actually say to her in a letter, since their usual conversations were mostly idle chatter. Perhaps, he reflected, some relationships weren’t meant to last once the participants were separated by distance.

Gilbert was returning to the train from Winnie’s home when he spotted Cole MacKenzie exiting a bookstore down the street. The two of them hadn’t know each other well at school, but it occurred to him that Cole might have heard from Anne, since everyone in Avonlea seemed to go out of their way to avoid telling him anything about what had happened to her.

Cole turned slightly to speak to the couple who exited the store behind him. The well-dressed, tall gentleman had his head bowed toward the small, slim…redhead on his arm. As she lifted her face to smile up at her companion, any doubt he previously had was dispelled. It was Anne, every inch a beautiful, sophisticated woman, made even more stunning with her hair carefully twisted at the nape of her neck.

Gilbert’s heart stopped, then thudded at double speed. He stood rooted to the ground as he watched the trio enter the tea shop next door. He peered in the window and saw the tall gentlemen solicitously settle Anne into her chair before leaning over close to her face to say something to her. She laughed, and he reached up a hand to her elegantly upswept hair.

It seemed incredible to Gilbert that somehow finding out where Anne was turned out to be worse than not knowing where she was. At least before he could assume she was safe, as the Cuthberts would never allow her to be harmed. Except now he knew that her new escort was a handsome, apparently wealthy, _very _attentive young gentlemen. And at the moment there was nothing he could do about it. Gilbert knew he couldn’t keep standing in the window. If they caught him, what explanation would he give for gawking at them? He passed by with one final glance back and wondered if anyone in Avonlea knew that Anne was gallivanting about Charlottetown on a man’s arm.


	4. Roy Hatches a Plot

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone for your comments! I've never published anything before this week and I'm really happy to keep you entertained!

Gilbert managed to pass the two weeks before starting Queen’s College with relative ease, considering what he had recently witnessed. He quietly pressed for information about Anne and no one said anything about her courting or a young man, even Ruby Gillis, who couldn’t possibly be trusted to keep that secret if she knew. As he and Anne had tied for first on the entrance examination, he knew he would see her when school began, so he waited patiently and tried to decide just what he should say to her.

When he saw her again as their classes began, she was dressed as the Anne he had always known, although with her hair tumbling around her shoulders instead of in her usual braids. Her hair had looked so pretty like that at the fair, he recalled, a lump forming in his throat. Her greeting to him was friendly but slightly distant, and she was soon overtaken by their other friends, who were also desperate to find out what had happened to her.

The first day of classes ended in a flash, and they all poured out into the September sunshine. Anne whispered something to the girls and began to saunter off away from the rest of the group. While Gilbert tried to think of a casual way to call over to Anne and invite her to study, a male figure appeared behind her, covering her eyes.

“You didn’t think I’d let your first day go by without checking in, did you?” She turned in surprise and lit up at the sight of the young gentleman.

Gilbert recognized him immediately, and his expression darkened. Anne chatted animatedly with the fellow and took his offered arm as he led her down the street. Once again, Gilbert was left telling himself that he really couldn’t stalk her through Charlottetown, even if his deepest wish was to run down the street and demand to know if Marilla was aware that she was in the habit of taking off with strangers.

_But he isn’t a stranger_, a worried voice in his head pointed out. She’d obviously known him the last time he had seen them together. Somehow he also knew Cole, so Gilbert hoped that he could find a subtle way to learn more at the dinner Aunt Jo was hosting for the Avonlea students tonight.

. . .

Cole was nervous to see his old classmates from Avonlea, but he was more nervous for Anne. Roy wondered at his uncharacteristically edgy demeanor as they waited for the guests to arrive. Anne, sadly, had moved into a boarding house to be closer to Queen’s.

“I’m worried for Anne,” he began, finding it easier to share her pain than to disclose his own. “Do you remember when she said a few weeks ago that she had suffered a heartbreak just before she arrived here?” Roy nodded. “Well unlike every other aspect of her life, she undersold the extent of her despair at having her hopes crushed. She cried every day for weeks. I do think your presence has helped, though,” he added, afraid that Roy would react badly to the knowledge that Anne had been hurt.

Roy accepted the information silently, although his mind was moving a thousand miles a minute.

“Well,” Cole continued, “the boy who broke her heart is also attending Queen’s and will be here tonight.” That got Roy’s attention. “So stay close to her in case she is struggling.”

“What happened?”

“He’s a boy from school; they were always the top students together. I though he had a crush on her, too, but then after she got here she told me that he’s courting someone else. She went to the town fair, all prepared to confess to him, but he was there with a wealthy woman from Charlottetown and her parents. From what she says, when the woman was around he barely knew that Anne existed. It shocked me because they had always seemed close before.”

“Who is this boy?”

Cole grinned. “If I tell you, you must promise not to beat him up in Aunt Jo’s house. She would never forgive you for ruining a dinner party.”

Roy placed his hand over his heart as though he was the soul of dignity and decorum. “I promise.”

“His name is Gilbert Blythe. Dark, curly hair. Looks smart.”

“He’s evidently not that smart,” Roy observed. Cole didn’t disagree.

. . .

The evening began uneventfully, though Roy hardly moved from Anne’s side. She seemed well enough, but he made every effort to convey the extent of his admiration at her loveliness every chance he got. He noticed the dark-haired Gilbert Blythe as soon as he arrived, and resisted the temptation to walk up to him immediately and give him the thrashing he deserved. He turned to Anne and paid her another effusive (and accurate) compliment, and was rewarded with a fond, grateful smile. He glanced back at Gilbert Blythe and noted that his eyes hadn’t moved from Anne, and he did not look pleased.

Cole was attempting a polite conversation with Gilbert about school when Roy joined their party. “Well Cole, Aunt Jo has outdone herself again. I must find a way to get myself invited over more than twice a week,” he said jovially. He caught the slight tightening in Gilbert’s jaw before the younger boy managed to correct himself. He turned fully to Gilbert now. “My apologies, I might have missed your name during our introductions.”

“I’m Gilbert Blythe.”

“And you know our darling Anne from school?”

Gilbert was increasingly failing to keep his expression neutral. “We are _close_ neighbors,” he replied as evenly as he could manage.

Roy was the far better actor between the two of them and feigned confusion. “Hm, I seem to recall a neighbor with a baby but not a Gilbert Blythe.”

“That is my adoptive brother and his daughter, Dellie.”

“Ah,” Roy replied with a look of false realization. “Yes, she really _adores_ the baby. That must be why the rest of you get short shrift in her stories. It is so hard to compete with the little angels when you’re just a classmate.”

Gilbert truly failed to pretend friendliness at the last comment, and finally said, “I just recalled that I need to ask Moody something. Excuse me,” before turning promptly on his heel and seeking out his friend. Cole and Roy watched him walk away for a beat.

“I’m pretty sure Gilbert hates you,” Cole quietly observed.

Roy gave a slow grin and raised one eyebrow. “I know.”

“What are you up to?” Cole asked suspiciously, already fairly certain he knew the answer.

“Well we know one thing. Blythe isn’t indifferent to Anne, is he?”

“That seems obvious.”

“So then in my experience, a guy who has broken a girl’s heart is usually one of two things – a fool or a cad.” Roy never took his eyes off Gilbert, who was now searching out every opportunity to casually engage Anne in a conversation.

“Usually?” Cole replied. “What’s the alternative?”

Roy flashed another smile. “I’m an optimist. I think a precious few of them can fix it and be forgiven. Who knows, maybe Blythe can manage it.”

“And if he doesn’t?”

“Then I will shower my darling Anne with the affection she deserves and find her a worthy husband.”

Cole rolled his eyes slightly in Roy’s direction. “You could just leave it alone.” Even as he said the words, he knew the attempt was futile. Roy could never leave anything alone, not when it came to his darling Anne.


	5. Roy Proposes, in a Roy Sort of Way

Their time at Queen’s otherwise began uneventfully, and the students settled into a familiar routine. To the surprise of no one, Anne and Gilbert threw themselves into their studies. They both wanted to complete the program in one year instead of the usual two, so they were working furiously in the library every day. They seemed to have regained some of their old camaraderie, though Gilbert sensed a barrier between them that was unfamiliar and concerning. Usually she had no trouble telling him exactly what she thought if he had behaved wrongly, and he was left unsure if he should risk the relationship they had regained by pushing the subject. He hoped he could fix whatever was wrong with a little patience, but for now Anne was treating him with a careful politeness that he found more than a little out of character.

The ache of knowing that he had lost something of their old friendship was further marred by the constant presence of Roy Gardner. It seemed every time Gilbert turned around the jackass was there, taking Anne out for afternoon amusements and even once dropping by unannounced just to bring her a gift. All the girls giggled and gossiped about his constant attention to Anne, and the boys wondered at his wealth and confidence. Gilbert wondered how he managed to attend art school, since he appeared to be forever at Queen’s instead. Anne flushed at the questions she received from their classmates but continued to insist that they were just friends. Gilbert watched the genuine joy that seemed to light Roy’s face upon seeing her and rather suspected her assessment was not entirely correct, but at the moment their relationship was too fragile for him to contradict her about it. And so he continued each day, having lost hardly any of the dull ache in his chest that had been his constant companion since Anne left Avonlea.

What he didn’t know is that just as closely as he watched Roy and Anne, Roy was watching him. One afternoon, as he whisked her away for a matinee play that she later pronounced “magical,” he casually inquired about Blythe after watching the two of them exchange glances and then quickly turn away as soon as the other noticed.

“Do you know that boy well? I suspect he rather wants to know my intentions with you,” Roy observed casually.

“Gilbert? He’s…well, we used to know each other quite well. I might have considered him a kindred spirit.” Her voice turned sorrowful.

“What happened?” he asked gently.

Her face registered a pain that Roy had never seen before. “I thought perhaps there was more between us than friendship, but it turned out I was wrong. He likes girls who are ever so much more grown-up and well-behaved than I could ever hope to be.”

“Are you sure he is courting someone?” Gilbert’s face didn’t look like a man whose mind was on another, but if he was then Roy was happy to brand him as a cad and finally give him the decent punch he deserved.

“I’ve been too afraid to ask,” she admitted, a slight catch in her voice. “I haven’t heard anything about it.”

Roy knew young men enough to know that if Gilbert was courting a mature, wealthy woman, probably everyone at Queen’s would already know about it. Still, Roy wondered just what could have ever caused this idiot to look at her like that and still leave her so confused.

“Still," she continued, snapping herself out of her reverie, “I think I have acquitted myself quite well since we have been here. And I have you and Cole to thank, truly. It is hard to imagine how I could have coped with my graveyard of buried hopes if I didn’t have the two of you to make life ever so fun.”

“You know the thanks are all mine, my darling Anne. We’ve coped together.”

Shortly after school began, Aunt Jo planned to host a fundraiser for the local charity hospital. Naturally, the guest list included Cole, Anne, and Roy, but Roy made the helpful suggestion that a few of Anne’s school chums should also join. Unsurprisingly, he included Gilbert Blythe on that list.

. . .

Gilbert trudged through Charlottetown on a brisk fall evening, cursing himself that he would have to spend an entire evening in Roy Gardner’s company. On the other hand, Anne would be there too, and he certainly wanted to stop Roy from taking any more opportunities to worm his way into Anne’s life.

Anne and Roy had already arrived when Gilbert stepped into the salon. Anne, standing with her back to him, gave a giggle as Roy lifted her hand to his lips. Of course, he couldn’t hear Anne laughingly tell Roy that his latest practiced speech for the pretty young lady in his watercolor class could not feature the term ‘my dove’, and the kiss to the hand might be a little much. Someone offered a glass of wine to Gilbert, and he wondered exactly how offended Aunt Jo might be if he drank the entire thing in one gulp. Still, he collected himself and joined their conversation before Roy could engage in any more behavior that would have Gilbert challenging him to a duel in Aunt Jo’s garden.

Two seemingly endless hours later, Gilbert found himself once again standing with Anne, Roy, and Cole, discussing an art piece that was on auction. Anne was soon called away by Aunt Jo, who wanted to introduce Anne to a local writer.

“Of course my darling Anne should meet every brilliant person here,” Roy started as Anne was whisked away into the crowd. “Has she graced you with her incredible talents, Blythe? I daresay you’re missing out.”

“She was constantly my rival for first in our class, and remains so to this day, Gardner. I’d have to be blind not to see how much talent she has.” Gilbert might put up with a lot from this pompous prat, but he drew the line at any implication that he did not fully recognize Anne’s brilliance.

Roy assessed Gilbert closely for a moment, then cocked an eyebrow almost imperceptibly and shifted the conversation in a new direction.

“I’m sure she would adore meeting the literary greats of Europe; it would give her so much inspiration. I should ask Anne if she should prefer a honeymoon in London or Paris. Oh, who am I kidding, I’ll give in to her gorgeous eyes and take her to both if she asks.” Cole stared hard at his glass to keep from laughing and carefully trained his face to nod sagely at this ridiculous statement.

“What honeymoon?” Gilbert demanded, his voice strangled. “You’re not even courting.”

“For now, but I simply need to wait for her to realize that my love for her is unsurpassed. How fortunate that I am both patient and determined.”

“What if she just doesn’t love you?” Gilbert pressed, realizing only too late that he probably should have kept that question to himself.

Roy noted Gilbert’s increasing vehemence with satisfaction but maintained his placid, starry-eyed demeanor. “It’s far easier to make a woman fall in love with you when she knows the full extent of your affection, isn’t it? I intend to shower my darling Anne with every ounce of admiration and attention I can offer.”

Cole knew that Roy had a talent for the dramatic, but the scene in front of him was turning positively Shakespearean. Cole wondered if he would ever again encounter a conversation so delightfully uncomfortable in his life. It seemed possible to Cole that Gilbert would simply lose consciousness, as it appeared that determining how to respond to Roy’s possessive, overconfident (and, unbeknownst to Gilbert, completely invented) claim to Anne’s hand in marriage was overcoming all of Gilbert’s faculties.

Gilbert once again left Roy and Cole abruptly to seek out Anne, presumably trying everything he could to subtly glean whether she might actually accept this proposal. At one point, as he leaned against a window to collect his thoughts, Roy and Cole passed by and feigned interest in a nearby painting.

“I cannot wait to take her to our country house,” Roy said, just a touch too loudly. Cole kept his eyes on the picture to keep from reacting, since Roy had struck up this topic out of the blue, ending a conversation about a trip that Roy planned to take with several other art students. “My mother will be enraptured with her. She’ll be begging for copper headed grandchildren. But I don’t know, having Anne in my house in a bedroom just down the hall? The temptation may be too great.”

Cole threw a surreptitious glance back at Gilbert.

“Careful, man,” he said as quietly as possible. “He’s about to break the glass in his hand.”

“Excellent,” Roy replied with a triumphant smile as Cole continued, more loudly—

“Now I won’t have you talking about Anne that way. You know she’s not that kind of girl.”

“I know,” Roy laughed, clapping Cole on the back. “I’ll wait _properly_ for her.”

They stood for a few more minutes, still pretending to discuss an utterly dull portrait. Soon they heard Gilbert’s footsteps across the floor as he walked straight up to Anne, who had just announced that she planned to go home.

“I’ll escort you back,” Gilbert said, preparing to lead her out to the entrance hall.

“There’s no need to trouble yourself; Cole or Roy said they would,” Anne replied, unable to keep the surprise from her voice.

“It’s no trouble at all, I’d be happy to do it.” Gilbert shot them both a glance that positively dared them to object. Roy gave him a good-natured nod that Gilbert did not return.

After the customary goodbyes, the utterly hapless lovers departed, and Roy wondered with a mixture of hope and fear if his plan might finally be working, after all.


	6. Gilbert Takes Roy's Advice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ...although he doesn't know it and would die before admitting it.

Anne settled into their walk home with her usual bright chatter, missing at first that Gilbert was barely responding. Finally, just as she glanced over at him to discern exactly why he appeared to be so quiet, he spoke.

“Anne, do you know that Gardner wants to marry you?”

She laughed and rolled her eyes. “Don’t be silly. Roy is just – he’s very affectionate to everyone. It doesn’t mean anything. Besides,” she said slyly, “I seem to recall hearing you say to Moody last week that it’s possible to escort a woman around town without it becoming a courtship or marriage. Or have you and Winnie decided to make your relationship official?” She hoped she had kept the heartache she felt out of her voice.

Gilbert looked back at her in confusion. “Winnie? She’s been in Europe for weeks.”

“Oh?” Anne had heard nothing about this. “You must miss her.”

Gilbert observed her for a long moment, a tiny flutter of hope growing in his chest. “She’s a nice girl, but we were only ever friends. I doubt she plans to come back here anytime soon, but I hope she is well, wherever she is.”

“I see,” Anne said simply, but she seemed to stand up just a bit straighter. They chatted comfortably for the rest of the walk, and Anne thanked him warmly for escorting her home.

“So from now on, you’re okay with having an escort?” he teased, unable to help himself.

“Remains to be seen,” she replied, an unreadable expression on her face. She gave him one more small smile as she closed the door to the boarding house.

. . .

Gilbert stood in front of Anne’s boarding house, notes in hand. She had been absent for two days with an illness, and Gilbert seized his opportunity. _Gardner can’t take notes at a school he doesn’t attend_, he concluded with satisfaction.

Anne came downstairs after the boarding house mistress installed Gilbert in the parlor, looking pale. She brightened when she saw him.

“Gilbert, what are you doing here?”

“I heard you were sick, so I brought notes from the class.”

She glanced over the pages. “You aren’t even in some of these classes.”

He tried to keep his voice casual. “They were kind enough to let me join since I said I was helping you.”

He was rewarded with a grateful smile. “That is exceedingly kind of you, thank you.” She blinked her eyes as though trying to adjust her vision, and sat quickly. Gilbert shot over to her.

“Are you okay?” he said, eyes full of concern.

“It’s fine; I just think I’ve been laying down too long.” He watched her closely, worrying about a thousand different possible medical problems at once. She blushed slightly at his careful attention.

“I think you should go back upstairs to rest,” he finally said. She nodded and thanked him again for coming.

As he was about to leave the parlor, he noticed an enormous bouquet of flowers on the table. The card still sat beside them. _Darling Anne,_ it read, _I will not rest until I know you are well. I hope this bouquet will lighten your heart as you lighten mine. Your devoted friend, R. Gardner._

Gilbert knew it was immature to consider tossing a bouquet of flowers out the window, but it didn’t prevent the temptation from rising to the surface.

The next day, Gilbert returned, with a fresh set of notes and a box of sweets.

. . .

Anne spent several more days abed, though it seemed to be no more than a particularly virulent flu. Gilbert sent over Dr. Ward after his second visit, just in case, but the doctor assured the anxious fellow that Anne would be fine. Gilbert visited daily, claiming his need to make sure that she kept up with her studies.

. . .

Roy returned Anne to the boarding house after a pleasant Saturday spent wandering the parks near town, the rosiness of their cheeks suggesting that it may have been their last outdoor jaunt before the long, cold Canadian winter settled in.

A pitcher of goldenrods and bright purple asters brightened the desk. Roy observed the new decoration with interest.

“Where did you find these lovely blooms?” he inquired.

“Oh, Gilbert had to stop by Green Gables when he was home for the long weekend,” she replied. “I was in such a state when I knew that I would not be able to travel home with the others because I had not recovered from my illness. I began to wonder if I would ever see the late autumn wildflowers again and despaired at the thought. So, he brought a few to me since Marilla had him deliver a number of other items here too.” She kept her voice as neutral as she could. She had begun to wonder at his increased presence at the boarding house, but after her earlier heartache she was inclined to wait and see if he gave any clearer signs before she allowed any hope in her heart.

“Would you like a little something to eat before you leave?” she offered. “I actually have some strawberry apples from home! Can you imagine? I thought for sure I would be forced to endure another year without them since I could not be there.” She picked up one for herself and took a bite, temporarily transfixed by their delectable sweetness. “I think I could travel the world and try the delicacies of empires, and still none of it would compare to a fresh strawberry apple.”

“Did Blythe bring that too?”

Anne nodded and flushed slightly. “They only grow on his property, in fact.”

_Finally_, _Blythe has learned something_, he thought approvingly. Bringing a special treat from her beloved home seemed an especially smart idea, though Roy was still a bit irritated with Gilbert for causing this mess in the first place and would never give him the benefit of paying him a compliment out loud.

Gilbert entered the parlor just then and did an impressive job of pretending that he was indifferent to finding Roy already there. He was merely stopping by to ask Anne if she would like to join him at the school concert tomorrow night – well, all their friends would be going together, he finished lamely. Roy barely concealed his eyeroll at Gilbert’s spinelessness.

Roy stood to leave and turned back to Anne. “My darling Anne,” he started, practically hearing Gilbert grind his teeth at the words, “are you still available to dine with my parents this Friday? They are so looking forward to it.” Let Blythe stew on that if he was going to be such a coward about inviting her out alone.

“Oh yes, I am ever so excited to meet them! After your stories I feel as if we will be the greatest of friends.”

Gilbert turned to her as Roy departed, eyebrows raised. “Dinner with Roy’s parents? Are you sure you aren’t courting?” He tried to keep his voice light, but his heart was pounding so hard in his chest he felt sure Anne would hear it.

“Does it have to mean anything? I recall you bringing Winnie’s parents all the way to Avonlea, but you claimed you were only friends.” 

Gilbert recognized a familiar edge to her voice and began to wonder if he had made a colossal blunder by inviting Winnie and her parents to the fair without warning Anne.

“You’re right,” he answered carefully, “it doesn’t have to mean anything at all. I met Winnie’s parents and we never had any understanding. Perhaps I did cause others to misunderstand but it never occurred to me until now.”

Anne swallowed hard and her flash of temper settled. “Well Winnie’s parents did seem very nice. I hope Roy’s parents will be similarly hospitable.”

Gilbert moved the conversation to what he hoped would be a safer topic. “I finished editing your chapter.”

Anne had begun writing a novel to pass the time during her illness, and when Gilbert learned of it he offered to act as her first reader and editor.

“It’s really fantastic, Anne. You should keep going,” he encouraged.

She flipped through the pages, her passionate writing appearing alongside Gilbert’s bold script in the margins. “This is very thorough!”

“Well if the writer is working so hard, it wouldn’t do for the editor to fall down on the job, would it?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> After the stress of episode 6, I don't know if I'll be able to handle watching 7 right now (someone tell me if it will make me so happy that I should brave it anyway), so this story probably won't change at all to accommodate later AwaE episodes.


	7. Anne Goes Home

The Christmas holidays approached quickly, and the Queens students were too busy with exams to think of much else. Gilbert convinced Anne to join his study group and realized just how much easier the entrance examination would have been if she had been in Avonlea that last month. Aside from being distracted with worry over her the entire time (and the two interminable months that followed), she was the most helpful study partner he’d ever had. She also, finally, had seemed to settle fully into their comfortable friendship again. They had their occasional moments where Gilbert felt the air between them shift into something more, but sitting in the library in the middle of exam season did not seem the time to do anything about it.

Most days, Gilbert could almost forget about Gardner, except on a couple of occasions when he stopped by to take her for a study break. He was as affectionate to Anne as ever, so that even at a distance Gilbert never failed to watch his fawning with a knot in his stomach. Gilbert didn’t dare say a word against him to Anne, fearing that any complaint would come off as pettiness when it seemed that Gardner had never failed to be anything but proper and friendly to her, if irritatingly exaggerated in his expressions of affection. Still, most days it was the two of them together, sharing notes, pencils, and snacks, while they worked through their lessons. When the studying was over, Gilbert would walk her home, and the pattern began to feel as Gilbert always hoped it would have if he had gotten up the courage to walk her home from school in Avonlea.

Then one day, shortly before exams, he asked Anne if she was returning to Avonlea for the holidays.

“Oh yes,” she replied with unbridled enthusiasm. “I have been so longing to see my beloved Green Gables. And Marilla says you, Bash, and Dellie are to join us for dinner ever so many times!”

“Perhaps we should ride home together,” Gilbert suggested casually, thinking that a long train ride would be the perfect opportunity to spend time alone with her.

“That would be wonderful,” she began with an open smile, “but Cole and Roy will be joining us at Green Gables for a few days. So, we will be a party of four!”

And so it was that Gilbert found himself on the most excruciating train ride of his life, staring directly at Roy Gardner and sitting on his hands to keep from lunging at the man every time he looked at Anne, or spoke to Anne, or _touched Anne_, all of which seemed to be happening without a moment’s break from the instant they met at the Charlottetown station. Gilbert was determined to put a stop to this nonsense before it drove him to madness, so he positioned himself to hold Anne’s hand as she ascended the platform, sat directly next to her on the train, and kept a conversation going with her for as much of the ride as he could without appearing completely rude to their two companions. Cole was enjoying the silent battle between the two idiot boys too much to participate in the discussion, and Roy was having the time of his life watching Gilbert finally give in to his frustration and simply take over. Anne, for her part, wondered just what had gotten into Gilbert but couldn’t help giving into a bit of girlish glee at his unconcealed attention.

Anne and Gilbert turned their discussion to her book, for Gilbert had finished editing her latest chapter the night before and was full of thoughts about the characters’ amusing antics.

“I can’t believe Cordelia walked the ridgepole of Mrs. Mackintosh’s kitchen roof! The chapter is great fun, but what little girl would do something so crazy?”

“Oh, you know my imagination,” she said with a laugh Gilbert didn’t quite understand. “Who, indeed.”

“You’re writing a novel?” Roy interjected.

“I’m so excited!” Anne replied, hands clasped in rapture. “I have tried little stories and poems before but never something quite this complicated.”

“And Blythe has read it?”

“He offered to be my editor.”

Roy nodded with approval. “How fortunate for you to have friends who did well in school. I would hang on your every word and compliment your writing daily, but I confess I do not have the attention to detail for editing.”

Gilbert managed a short nod of acknowledgment in return, then said to Anne, “You captured springtime in Avonlea perfectly. It felt like I was back there.”

“Oh, your novel is about Avonlea? I would have thought, with your fanciful imagination, that your characters would be roaming the highlands of Scotland or drinking in the fragrant spices of India.”

“Ha, well you know I always try to start my stories in some magical, far off place. But I find that I cannot be inspired to write so poetically as I can about PEI. Here I can describe the scent of every flower and the feeling of every breeze over my skin.”

“If we spend our lives traveling to every exotic location on earth, just imagine the prose you would produce.” Roy rather suspected that Gilbert would toss him from the ship if he tried to whisk her away, if his expression was any indication.

“Oh, having adventures like that would be tremendously exciting, but I quiver to imagine the strain I would put on poor Matthew and Marilla if I tried gallivanting around the world and they could not know if I were face down in a ditch somewhere,” she sighed dramatically.

“I enjoyed seeing the world when I was moving coal,” Gilbert interjected. Roy observed Anne closely as Gilbert spoke, for her face displayed evidence of a painful memory. “But I met one too many people along the way wishing they had the kind of home I did. I think I’d like to travel but I wouldn’t go for so long like I did before. Besides,” he added a bit more briskly, perhaps thinking he was becoming a bit too sentimental, “once I’m a doctor I need to make sure I am there for my patients.” Gilbert didn’t catch Anne’s secret smile at his words, but Roy did.

They finally arrived in Avonlea to find Matthew, Marilla, Bash, and Dellie waiting for them on the platform. Anne flew into Matthew and Marilla’s arms, then turned to introduce them to Roy.

Roy shook their hands solicitously and declared, “I am so grateful that you have spared our darling Anne to spend the last few months with us. How colorless life would be without her.”

Matthew and Marilla smiled and nodded slightly, having been prepared in advance by Anne for Roy’s eccentricities but still unsure how to respond. Bash took in the scene in silence, eyes shifting back and forth from Roy to Anne to Gilbert.

Gilbert, still standing suspiciously close to Anne, was using the last ounces of restraint in him to stop himself from simply telling this annoying interloper that he was going to do everything in _his_ power to make sure that Roy would be living his colorless life without Anne. That seemed a bit dramatic and boorish for a train platform, however, so Gilbert turned his attention to Dellie, whose toothy grins would never fail to cool his temper.


	8. Love Takes up the Glass of Time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The chapter title doesn't really fit with the rest, but I really needed it to be the same as the chapter title at the end of Anne of the Island. ;)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In honor of my son Gilbert and the long-suffering Shirbert fandom, I decided to post one more chapter today.

Gilbert had very little opportunity to avoid his exhausting emotions even after they left the train station, because they had agreed to return to Green Gables with Matthew to help him with a few chores that required extra sets of hands. Gilbert spent the ride back to Green Gables focused on entertaining Dellie, so that he wouldn’t notice whatever obnoxious thing Gardner was probably doing in the wagon right in front of him.

The experienced farmhands got straight to work on a broken fence while Anne brought Cole and Roy into the house. A few minutes later, Roy and Cole stepped onto the porch nearby.

“I cannot wait to see your room, Anne,” Roy started, seemingly addressing his words to someone just inside the door. “Then I will be able to imagine the fanciful and lovely world you occupy as you dream of romantic trysts and adventure.”

Gilbert was staring at the fence rail as if his whole soul were absorbed in it, unwilling to give into his temper where Anne, Marilla, or Matthew might witness it. It seemed to Bash, who was instead looking at Roy and Cole, that Anne was in fact not nearby to hear this enthusiastic suggestion, and the conspiratorial glances between Roy and Cole only served to further his curiosity.

“If he tries to wander into Anne’s room like he belongs there, I will tie him to the banister,” Gilbert muttered to himself fiercely.

Bash smiled widely and raised his eyes to the sky. “So, is Anne’s room ‘fanciful and lovely’?” he inquired, unable to hide the teasing in his voice.

“I don’t know,” Gilbert ground out.

Bash wondered if perhaps he should raise his suspicions about Roy’s intentions with Gilbert, but he had been a bit starved for entertainment while Gilbert was away at school and couldn’t resist letting this current saga play out a bit more. Besides, it was no less than Blythe deserved after being so secretive about his blindingly obvious feelings for Anne for so long.

“Well Gardner seems so determined that I suspect he would find a way to escape whatever trap you set for him.”

Gilbert was prevented from telling Bash exactly what he thought of Bash’s observation by Matthew’s return from the barn.

. . .

They trudged up the lane to Green Gables the next day to join them for a Christmas celebration, as Gilbert unleashed on his hatred of Roy again in the hopes that he could manage to make it through an entire evening with the man without giving in to the barely-contained resentment he felt every time Gardner was in Anne’s presence.

“What does she see in him?!” Gilbert finally hissed. Whatever attempts Gilbert previously made to conceal his feelings for Anne around Bash had flown out the window as he paced around the Blythe farmhouse last night, hating with a passion that Roy Gardner was even now occupying the same house with Anne. Bash tried but failed to stop himself enjoying the ardent display of youthful angst.

“Well in my experience, women hate compliments and attention, so I have no idea,” Bash said dryly. He rewarded Bash’s unhelpful commentary with a look of exasperation.

“Anne likes him, so she won’t thank you to start a fight with him,” Bash continued sagely, shifting Dellie from one arm to the other. “It doesn’t mean she wouldn’t like another man better. Pretty words will only get you so far.”

Gilbert hoped that Bash was right.

Marilla ushered them into the hall, but Anne was nowhere to be found. Bash and Dellie followed closely behind Marilla, following their noses to whatever delightful treats she had prepared. Gilbert lingered behind slightly, trying to steady his nerves a bit before he saw Anne.

Whatever attempts he had made to stay calm immediately failed, for Anne chose this exact moment to step down the stairs directly in front of him. Her hair was still down, but with a few strands pinned away from her face to show off every delicate feature. Her dress was new, not designed for a fully grown woman but longer than her usual skirts and sewn to enhance her figure to perfection. He finally managed to croak that she looked beautiful, but he needn’t have bothered with the words. His face betrayed every ounce of admiration and attraction he felt for her in that moment, and they both stood, transfixed. She opened her mouth to respond, just as Roy and Cole descended the stairs behind her.

“Darling Anne, should you stand posed like that all evening I could not possibly enjoy Marilla’s delicious dinner, for your beauty will distract me too much.” Anne smiled indulgently at Roy’s praise, but Gilbert was too awestruck even to react to Roy’s statement. His eyes remained on Anne and she could not pull herself away from his gaze.

Marilla appeared in the hall just then to direct them all into the parlor, where the candles of the Christmas tree were already burning. They all enjoyed some pleasant conversation, hearing the tales of school exploits and country goings-on. Anne and Gilbert were both a bit too affected to participate as they might have normally, but with Roy around no one would ever have to worry about lack of entertainment. Soon it was time for dinner, and Anne approached the tree to blow out the candles.

Bash clapped his arm around Roy’s shoulders and led him into the dining room, pressing Roy for information about his time sailing around the Caribbean with his family some years earlier. Roy reflected that he would have had a much easier time with his plan if he had enlisted this fellow to straighten out Blythe from the beginning.

Gilbert lingered behind.

They began to blow out each candle as they had done at an earlier Christmas, until one of Anne’s curls slipped over her shoulder and threatened to settle just a little too closely to the flame. Gilbert reached out his hand instinctively to brush it back, before taking a step closer and collecting all of her silky strands with his fingers, holding them back so that she wouldn’t be in any more danger. Anne made no move to stop him. They each could hardly draw breath as they finished their task, but the clink and clatter of plates and flatware reminded them both of where they were and they quickly returned to the dining room.

. . .

Roy watched the two of them standing at a window as the party enjoyed after dinner tea, talking of willow trees, fields, walking paths, and holly bushes. Anne sighed at the thought that she had missed the fall colors at Green Gables, and Gilbert promised to build her a foot bridge over her favorite creek the following summer. Roy watched Anne’s eyes scan the landscape that forever tugged at her heart, despite her flowery speeches about adventures and glamour. Gilbert’s eyes never left her face. That was the thing Roy finally understood, contemplating Anne's joy as she reveled in returning to Green Gables. He felt his heart settle as he concluded with certainty that Anne would get the happiness she deserved in the end. Anne’s true treasure would always remain in the woods and wilds that she called home, and Gilbert shared her undying pull to the place that always featured in her fanciful stories at the end, no matter how far away they started. Gilbert loved every bit of her expressive and carefree view of the world, but he would never resent her for wanting to return to the people and place where she had finally made a family.

As they bent their heads together, lost in some shared history, Roy felt sure that his little experiment would succeed. He would try with all of his power to be happy with the outcome, for his darling Anne’s sake.

Anne announced that she had forgotten her presents in the barn. Roy stood to offer help out of pure habit, but Blythe had shot to the door and was buttoning his coat before Roy could even get out the words. The two of them disappeared into the night.

Out in the barn, Gilbert helped Anne uncover the boxes she left in the wagon. He grasped her hand to help her back out of the wagon bed, and sensed his opportunity.

“I have my present for you here,” he started, pulling a wrapped package from his coat pocket. It was a thesaurus and style guide. “You are far too literary to have much use for a dictionary anymore, but I thought this might help with some inspiration for your writing. I got one for myself too, as your official editor.”

She flipped eagerly through the pages, unable to conceal her excitement. “You’re going to read every single draft? I warn you, I am a prolific writer.”

“As long as some of the poems are about me, of course I will.” He winked.

Her eyes widened in surprised, and with a small laugh she rifled through the box and uncovered a wrapped package. “Then you’ll enjoy your gift.”

He unwrapped the package to find a picture frame. When he turned it over, he realized in an instant that Anne had written out a poem by hand, surrounded by a carefully hand-applied frame of beads to evoke sand and surf. It was unbelievably gorgeous.

He began to read by the faint light of the kerosene lamp, about a boy who traveled on wild adventures, using a beacon of light as his guide on the open sea. When he tired of missing home, he followed the beacon for days, until he landed on shore to discover that the people he loved most had been holding it up for him the entire time.

“To give you courage when you're following your dreams,” she offered.

“What gives me courage, Anne,” he breathed, eyes shining with tears and unable to contain himself a moment longer, “is knowing someone as incredible as you would even think of holding a beacon for me.”

Almost in an instant, the world outside of the barn disappeared around them. Neither was thinking of the party, or Roy, or the dozens and dozens of times that they had lost courage and run away from this moment before. Gilbert’s eyes captured her as he stepped forward, uncaring about anything else except that her steady gaze was as full of love as he had ever hoped.

It was hard to say who initiated the kiss, except that it felt so right by the time it started that it didn’t matter. This wasn’t a nervous, tentative attempt to discover their feelings for each other. It was a mutual acknowledgment of the feelings they had both held for so long, the feelings that they both feared expressing because the intensity was beyond a schoolboy crush or even a hopeless romantic’s helpless pining. They needed to be ready to live out those feelings once they were expressed, because there was no going back.

Gilbert unbuttoned his coat and drew her into his warmth, shielding her further from the cold of an unheated barn. She smiled against his lips and slipped her hands around his waist. They probably would have stayed forever, not wanting to give up their quiet universe of love. Gilbert feared eventually they would be discovered by Matthew, though, and the poor man would probably prefer not to witness this moment.

They returned to the party quietly, agreeing that it was a development too precious and new to announce in so public a fashion. The unacknowledged lovers merely enjoyed the company of their family and friends together, knowing that it was only the start of so many shared Christmases to come.


	9. Bash and Roy, Kindred Spirits

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I struggled with this chapter since it's a bit tonally weird after all the emotions in chapter 8, but I figured regular life does invade a new romance eventually and I couldn't resist imagining how Bash and Roy would learn of Anne and Gilbert's relationship. I added a couple of bits just for some lovely commenters who offered up very helpful suggestions. :)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for your comments and kudos. I've had a blast writing this and I love hearing your thoughts.

Bash did not have to wait long to learn the truth of the day’s events, discovering Anne and Gilbert locked in a cozy embrace in the Blythe kitchen just after dawn the next morning. Anne had rushed over at the first possible opportunity to return something of Dellie's that Gilbert had “forgotten” the night before.

“Eh, Blythe!” The pair jumped at his voice. Anne squeaked in embarrassment and hid her face in Gilbert’s chest. Gilbert, not looking the least bit sorry, simply used the opportunity to cuddle his girl a bit closer to him.

“I’ll be back in a minute,” Bash continued, backing out of the kitchen as fast as possible. When Bash returned, Anne was already gone. Gilbert was seated at the table, looking dazed but elated.

“So I guess you finally figured out what to do about Anne, huh?”

Gilbert grinned. “Seems that way.”

“Does that mean you and Gardner are on your way to being friends?” Bash said, his voice full of humor.

Gilbert’s eyes flashed in annoyance. “How many times does some other guy get to call her ‘darling’ before I’m allowed to hate him forever?”

Bash let out a chuckle. “Fair enough.”

. . .

Anne had not said anything further about Gilbert to Cole and Roy by the time the three of them arrived at the Blythe farm for a visit later that afternoon. Last night she had been too full of emotion to even begin the story, and then she knew she needed to write a letter to Diana in Paris before she even considered telling anyone else. She regretted bitterly that she could not tell Diana in person first, but telling her the entire story on paper before she shared it with her other friends seemed a good enough compromise. After that, Marilla had kept the three of them busy all morning, and Anne was not at all prepared to reveal the news to Marilla and Matthew. Matthew would not object, but she worried that he would struggle a bit with facing yet another big change to Anne’s life. Marilla, she feared, may very well lecture her to death about being too young for courting and would likely as not try to keep the new lovers from spending quite so much time alone for good measure. Better to let things settle and then find a good time to tell them, Anne concluded, though it did require enlisting Bash to keep quiet.

Bash and Roy settled easily into a conversation once again as they all gathered around the kitchen table, having found the night before a shared sense of humor and stories of shipboard antics (though Roy’s shipboard experiences were decidedly more posh than Bash’s). Roy and Cole also suspected all day that something had changed between Anne and Gilbert in the course of their visit home and kept a close eye over both of them for clues that their suspicions were correct. They both looked decidedly more relaxed, that was for sure. For Roy, the most obvious clue was that Gilbert occasionally managed to look in his direction without appearing to be plotting violence. Interesting.

Anne soon stepped away to check on the baby, having been suffering terribly from a lack of time with Dellie during her stay in Charlottetown. Roy sensed an opportunity and couldn’t help but seize it.

“Blythe, the way you are looking at my darling Anne is positively indecent. Do you have anything you’d like to tell us about your intentions? I usually prefer to meet my rivals at dawn but I may be willing to make an exception here.”

Bash sputtered into his water glass, and the two of them shared a silent agreement. “Yeah Blythe, what exactly were you doing last night eyeing Anne like that? I ought to have Matthew come over here and give you a talking to.” Gilbert fixed Bash with a hard stare that suggested painful revenge awaited him in the future. Bash smiled evenly back. He would never have any regrets.

Cole got into the spirit and turned to Gilbert. “Well I thought you would have done something by now. I told Anne two years ago that you had a crush on her so it’s not like you hid it well.” Cole would treasure the horrified look on Gilbert’s face until his dying day.

“Perhaps he just hasn’t figured out how to kiss her yet,” Bash offered, apparently deciding that he preferred to spend the rest of his life living with a man who wanted to murder him just a little bit.

“Or maybe he has?” Roy continued, with wide-eyed wonder.

“If you want to know who Anne kisses you'll have to ask Anne,” was Gilbert’s only response. “I would never reveal that kind of thing to a group of…buffoons” he added, waving his arm at the trio of troublemakers in front of him, “without a lady’s consent.”

Roy already rather liked Gilbert in spite of himself, but his estimation increased quite a bit more at that statement. He also didn’t believe in gossiping about his intimacies and was relieved to know that Gilbert would never boast about his relationship with Anne.

“I expect the young man simply needs a bit of education to get up the confidence,” Roy decided. Gilbert appeared puzzled that Roy was so invested in helping him woo Anne but said nothing. “Have you tried to give him some guidance, Bash?”

“He could probably do with some more,” Bash said lightly, although he had a fleeting thought that perhaps they should have a few more pointed conversations if Gilbert was inclined to be running around kissing Anne all over town even before breakfast. He supposed that would be tomorrow’s problem. Being the older brother to a young man in love was grueling.

Bash and Roy spent the next ten minutes offering every “helpful” suggestion to Gilbert about kissing and wooing women that they could think of, while Gilbert concentrated on stopping himself from betraying the secret in order to get the two of them to cease their antics. Cole had no experience whatsoever with wooing women, but it didn’t stop him from offering up a few ideas of his own. Gilbert would never admit it, but a few of their kissing suggestions actually seemed rather useful and he quietly filed them away for another time when he could get Anne alone.

Anne returned just then with Dellie in her arms. Gilbert had to look away from her for a moment, as the sight of Anne cuddling the child with such maternal tenderness suddenly had new meaning that nearly overwhelmed him. By the time he collected himself, though, Dellie had squealed and began toddling over to Roy, having befriended him at the party the night before. Spell broken, Gilbert didn’t bother concealing his eyeroll. Even infant girls seemed to fall for Roy’s charms.

“What exciting tales did I miss while I was away?” Anne asked.

“Oh, nothing much, we were just explaining to Blythe here how to kiss a girl properly.” At this point, Roy’s desire for information was winning out over his usual discretion, and anyway he was certain now that something had happened.

“Gilbert doesn’t need to you explain that to him!” she exclaimed, then turned positively scarlet as four pairs of eyes (well, five, if you counted Dellie) stared up at her in astonishment. Bash looked as though his Christmas present had come early, Cole was annoyingly smug, Roy was triumphant, and Gilbert had the audacity to look just a little bit proud underneath his embarrassment. For a long beat, no one spoke.

“Well, finally,” Cole eventually interjected. “Putting up with the two of you mooning over each other is exhausting for the rest of us, I’ll have you know. Two. Years. Of. This, Roy.”

“Right?!” Bash added. “And I had to _live_ with him. Imagine being stuck on a very small ship with this lovesick fool.”

Anne and Gilbert decided they really ought to start dinner just then, since their loved ones appeared to be more than happy to complain about their romantic failings without any assistance from them.

Roy sought out Gilbert later as the young man started the evening chores in the barn. “Anything I can do to help?” After months of needling him, he figured he could try being magnanimous, if only once.

“Do you know anything about milking cows?” Gilbert deadpanned.

“I think we both know the answer to that question,” Roy answered jovially.

Gilbert assessed him quietly. “I notice you took Anne’s…pronouncement pretty well, for a guy who was planning a honeymoon not too long ago.”

“Gilbert, my boy,” the young man in question rewarded him with another eyeroll for that, “all I care about is Anne’s happiness. Wouldn’t you accept it if Anne had chosen the other way?”

Gilbert’s face suddenly took on a quality Roy had not seen in him before, as though he had felt for a brief flash the pain he would have felt in that other, terrible world, knowing that he would spend the rest of his life without Anne. He cleared his throat. “I would have accepted it and I would never have let Anne know how I felt. But I wouldn’t have been able to sit around a table today and make jokes.”

Roy gave Gilbert a look he couldn’t read and clapped him on the shoulder. “Let’s just say I’m happy I lost to you.”


	10. Roy Gardner, Groom of Adventure

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Roy decides it is time to move on.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In my head for now I'm casting Noah Centineo as Roy (or maybe KJ Apa? IDK) since he can obviously play a lovable toublemaker who is essentially fake-dating. He would have to learn to play the character with a more affected accent and the confidence of a rich playboy but I'll assume he can manage. Plus, I think his physical size relative to Lucas would make for a nice contrast because Lucas would probably have to be over there like, literally puffing himself up to try to match the larger Noah (this works for KJ too I think) and as a representation of how their relationship is going it would be fun to watch. 
> 
> I am open to better suggestions. :) They might both be too old but Winnie looks like Gilbert's maiden aunt so apparently we're not much worried about that kind of thing...
> 
> ETA - now I would like to see Noah in a fitted period costume with some good, slightly tousled Victorian hair and I greatly regret doing this to myself.

The young lovers passed a wondrous holiday at home, reveling in their newly expressed feelings and talking over every look, sigh, touch, and misunderstanding that had led them to this point. Anne never learned the true extent of Roy and Cole’s meddling, for they did not want her to be cross with them for torturing her poor Gilbert (though they both felt he had deserved it), and Gilbert was far too focused on conveying the depth of his devastation at being without her for those three terrible months to bother much with Roy’s part in the story.

Anne was also left unaware of the depth of Roy’s feelings, though Gilbert did confess his jealousy at Roy’s unceasing presence in her life. Anne laughed off the idea (though of course she did feel a bit of a secret thrill upon learning that Gilbert had actually pined for her), assuring Gilbert that Roy had many lovers to whom he was even more nauseatingly generous with his attention and affection and that there had never been danger of more than friendship between them for even a moment. Roy had always been careful to conceal the depths of his feelings from Anne, afraid that the tenderhearted girl would be devastated to learn that she had given her dear friend even a moment’s pain. Roy believed it was his cross to bear alone, since he had dared to fall in love with her while knowing that the path of romantic love with Anne was doomed from the start. Even Cole he left somewhat in the dark, since the fellow was a bit too honest to be trusted with keeping the secret forever, and Roy wished to spare him from having to try. In fact, it was Gilbert alone who seemed to suspect the truth, though he kept it to himself. Roy reflected that it seemed rather fitting, actually, for Gilbert was the only other man in the world whose feelings for Anne came close to matching his own. It occurred to him that in this way Anne would have even suggested that they were kindred spirits. Roy shuddered. What a frightening thought.

Gilbert, for his part, tolerated Roy’s continued presence in Anne’s life with relative equanimity, even if his relentless compliments continued unabated and he ruined the word “darling” for Gilbert for all time. Anne left Gilbert with absolutely no doubt of his place in her life, which made any other minor annoyance pale in comparison to the joy of receiving her love. Anne had a home in her heart for her friends, where she loved them forever and continued to invite in new subjects of adoration for the rest of her life. That place in her heart simply grew and grew. Gilbert, however, occupied a place in her heart that gave love a different meaning, and no one else could ever hope to enter.

At the end of the school year, Roy finally gave into his wanderlust and enrolled in a prestigious arts college in Vienna. “Let me guess, you’re chasing a lover there,” Anne teased.

“On the contrary, darling, I intend to find a lover there,” he replied with his usual mischievous gleam. “A few of Queen Victoria’s granddaughters remain unmarried, I think. I may start there.”

Cole, Anne, and Gilbert accompanied Roy and his family to the docks to see him off. “I fear I shall go the whole of my life without seeing hair as lustrous as yours again. I daresay I should clip off a lock and kiss it each day when I am missing my darling Anne,” Roy sighed. Anne laughed heartily but of course made no move to let him do any such thing. Gilbert, Roy noted with glee, was looking at Roy with exactly the level of exasperation Roy had hoped. He couldn’t resist throwing that one last little wrench Gilbert’s way. His estimation of Gilbert had only improved since the Christmas holiday, and he suspected that in another lifetime they would have even been friends. As it was, Roy would never be able to entirely forgive Gilbert for committing the unpardonable sin of being the only man in the world who loved Anne more than Roy himself, and for that Roy would continue to torture the man just a bit for as long as he drew breath.

He stepped over to shake Gilbert’s hand as Anne and Cole said warm goodbyes to Roy’s parents. “If you don’t treat her right, Blythe, I will come back over the Atlantic and steal her away.”

“You’ll have no need to even try, then, Gardner,” Gilbert replied evenly. “And if you try anyway, you will find yourself in a dinghy in the middle of the Atlantic.”

Roy laughed, suspecting that Blythe was only about half joking.

Finally, it was time to say goodbye to Anne. He struggled to find a joke or a compliment to cover his heartbreak, but he ended up merely giving her a hug and croaking, “I’ll miss you.”

He left Anne on the platform, standing between the protective presence of Cole and Gilbert, brilliant red hair outshining them both. Gilbert, having a moment of compassion for his onetime rival, made no move to step close to Anne until Roy had given her one last, long look, and entered the ship.

. . .

Over the years, Anne would receive a letter every few months, from Vienna, or Istanbul, or a dozen other locations that she would never dream to visit on a country doctor’s salary. Still, she was the bride of adventure through the tales that Roy spun, made more vivid by the paintings and photographs that usually accompanied them. Anne, in turn, regaled him with the tales of adventure in her own little breathtaking corner of paradise. She spoke of wooded copses and babbling brooks, fragrant gardens, wild red- and black-haired children, and a cast of friends and family that warmed her home and heart. With her letters she sent each and every publication and book she produced, along with pictures of her growing family. Roy marveled at her spectacular literary career and never failed to mention that she had kept her gorgeous looks, despite the children who increasingly gathered around her smiling face in the photos. He did suggest to Gilbert, after the third or fourth cherubic face appeared in the family portrait, that perhaps he could stand to be a little _less _attentive to his wife, although he saw no evidence at all in subsequent years that this sage advice was heeded.

Gilbert endured Roy’s letters with generally good humor, though if pressed he would have to confess that each time he saw his wife’s name written in Roy’s familiar scrawl, he rather wished that the man would lose their address someday. His less than charitable musing never lasted, however, past the exact moment when he entered their home and Anne slipped her arms around his neck in a familiar embrace, one that would forever belong only to him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If I had not already overtaxed my poor brain on this one, I’d do an entirely separate series of stories where Roy tours Europe, lover to the ladies who prefer to remain unmarried and matchmaker to those who don’t. 
> 
> Then, Roy becomes a wartime photographer after WWI breaks out, capturing images of the horror and scope of the conflict as had never been done before. He and Anne collaborate long-distance on a series of short stories (complete with photos) to convey the full scope of the war’s terrible effects on soldiers and civilians alike. They win a prestigious award, and Gilbert couldn’t be prouder of them. He would still prefer, though, that Roy and his overly admiring eyes remain an ocean away from his wife.


	11. Roy Writes Excellent Letters and Gilbert Hates Them

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It turns out I am easily influenced and I love Roy, so even though I said the story was over I may do a few extra vignettes of their lives going forward. The idea of Roy annoying Gilbert on purpose via post is just too fun to ignore, and who doesn’t love a libertine gallivanting about Europe?
> 
> But to start, let’s let Bash try his best to give Gilbert The Talk…

Soon after Roy departed for Vienna, Anne and Gilbert returned to Avonlea, prepared to enjoy their summer together to the fullest before they would be, sadly, separated in the fall. Gilbert had received a scholarship to the University of Toronto, and Anne had received the Avery scholarship to attend Redmond College. The thought of being so far away tore them both apart, but money was tight and the scholarships were the fastest way to finish school and move on with their lives together. They were now openly courting, so no one was surprised to find them always in each other’s company that summer. Marilla fussed at Anne a bit about being too serious when they were both so young, though if she had been honest her heart wasn’t really in it. She already considered Gilbert family, of a sort, and it seemed only fitting that the two of them would end up together. More importantly, she never wanted Anne to feel the lifelong sting of regret that she did after giving up on John.

Anne and Gilbert spent a good part of their time at the Blythe farm, ostensibly to watch Delly but mostly because Bash and his mother were considerably more lax about supervising them. Bash decided to let the new couple bask in the glow of their relationship for a bit, assuming that they were both responsible young adults and didn’t need a lecture from him about propriety. Now that Marilla knew the truth, she was sure to do enough lecturing to cover the important points. Then, as he watched them emerge from the barn one afternoon early in the summer, holding hands and looking a bit too happy, he wondered if he might have to do his least favorite thing and give Blythe some serious advice.

Miraculously, the next day Gilbert was actually at home without Anne for a time, so Bash seized his opportunity. “Blythe, we should, you know, talk for a minute, now that you’re – er, getting to be a man and –“

Gilbert noted Bash’s odd reticence and sputtering speech with dread. “Bash, what are you on about?”

Well he had already started down the path to hell, so he might as well run. “I hope you know you need to be careful when it comes to Anne. You have years left before you’ll be ready to marry her, and any missteps could ruin your life. More importantly, it would destroy Anne’s reputation and Marilla would never forgive you.”

Bash went out of his way to avoid serious, uncomfortable conversations, so Gilbert had rather hoped to avoid this one forever. “I promise you, I am not a complete idiot and I would never do anything to risk my future with Anne.”

Bash fixed him with a knowing stare. “Is there a single inch left in that barn where you haven’t kissed her?” Gilbert had no good answer to that question, so they both sat in excruciating silence for a beat.

“Fine, I promise not to compromise Anne,” Gilbert replied, though his tone suggested he wasn’t taking this conversation entirely seriously.

Bash remained skeptical. “Compromise? What does that mean?”

“Let’s not worry about it. Everyone’s always worried about us men ‘compromising’ women, so I won’t.”

“None of the words coming out of your mouth right now seem to mean anything.”

As sly smile passed over Gilbert’s face. “I think we’ll both feel better if we just don’t know whether ‘compromise’ means the same thing to me and you, don’t you? You can tell Marilla honestly that I’m not ‘compromising’ anything. You’re welcome.”

Somehow Bash was getting more alarmed as this conversation continued rather than less. “Boy, let’s try this again. I will kill you if you –"

Gilbert ducked his head in embarrassment and forged ahead. “Okay fine, I promise that I will do nothing to ruin our lives, and I promise that Marilla will never discover anything to make her uncomfortable.” He decided that they had discussed this particular topic plenty and rose to head outside for chores.

Bash found himself shouting at Gilbert’s retreating figure. “Wait – ‘discover’?! Did you just promise only that you wouldn’t get caught?! Hey!” Bash sighed in defeat as Gilbert disappeared into the barn. “I might have to kill that boy.”

. . .

Hardly anything disrupted their glorious summer, though near the end there was one event that Gilbert would have happily forgotten. He arrived at Green Gables one day to discover Anne sitting on the porch, reading a letter. He suppressed the urge to roll his eyes when he saw the name on the envelope.

“Come here – I’ll have to read this whole thing to you!” Now Gilbert was suppressing the urge to groan aloud. “Roy’s adventures in Vienna sound so thrilling!”

_Darling Anne_,

Gilbert wanted to throttle him and they were only two words into this letter. He sensed it was about to be a long afternoon.

_I sit in a café, breathing in the heady aroma of my coffee, and think of you. I expect the strength of the brew would cause you to wrinkle your cute little nose at your cup_. A long, long afternoon. Roy’s ability to annoy him from across the globe was truly a gift.

Roy began his letter with a detailed description of his new surroundings, including his impressions as he strolled along the Ringstrasse on his first day, the famous road where his own art school and his favorite opera house were located. He had already seen “La bohème” since arriving in Vienna, and declared it “scandalous fun”. He promised to share every delectable detail of the story for her in another letter.

He then spent several paragraphs recording his delightful encounters with a lovely, but very bored, young lady who happened to take the same crossing to Southampton._ Her golden hair is incredible, but I daresay, still not as fascinating and lively as yours. _Gilbert gave up the pretense and rolled his eyes openly, but Anne was still breathlessly reciting the tale of how Roy nearly ended the engagement of a lively heiress he met on the ship by accident, only to save the relationship from the brink of disaster when he took the young groom-to-be under his wing and finally taught him how to woo his intended.

Anne purposely skipped the postscript, but Gilbert caught his own name and read it over her shoulder. _PS – Tell Bash I expect him to keep an eye on Blythe, since I am no longer present to protect your virtue. Don’t you dare try to protest at me; I have seen the scandalous look in his eyes when he sees you. He does have excellent taste, after all, but we can hardly allow the boy to give in to his lecherous instincts._

“Lecherous – when was it ever his job to ‘protect your virtue’!” He had a lot more things to say where that came from, but Anne interrupted his tirade with a sweet kiss.

“He’s just teasing,” she insisted, arms still wrapped around his neck. “He knows very well that I’m safe with you, and,” she continued with a mischievous grin, “he knows that I share the same scandalous look in my eyes when I see you.” None of this convinced Gilbert that Roy was any less of an ass, but as Anne chose that exact moment to show him exactly how scandalous she wanted to be, he didn’t bother thinking about Gardner any more.

She snuggled her head against his shoulder. “Isn’t it fun to imagine what it would be like, you and me, sitting together in a café drinking ‘heady’ European coffee? Perhaps I could wear a dress with a daring neckline and you could pretend to meet me and fall in love at first sight!” He noticed with a smile that every one of Anne’s imaginings featured the two of them, touring Europe and kissing in all manner of fancy coffeehouses and theatres.

Anne responded to Roy almost immediately and wanted Gilbert to proofread to make sure that she adequately conveyed every sweet scent and salty breeze of an Avonlea summer. He was just petty enough to count with glee that Anne had mentioned his name over a dozen times in the letter back. In his heart he knew his jealousy was ridiculous, but as long as Gardner was irritatingly more adept at flowery sentiments and bold compliments than he, the flash of annoyance at the thought of him wouldn’t quite go away. He resolved to work especially hard on conveying the depth of his feelings for Anne in his letters from college, even if he sometimes despaired that he had none of Anne’s talent for bringing life to the written word.


	12. Roy Buys Excellent Gifts and Gilbert Doesn't Like Those, Either

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I promise I'll write a scene with Roy and Cole, from Roy's perspective, soon. But, I couldn't resist the temptation to imagine what Roy would do when the engagement is announced.

Though there were still five agonizing years left before Gilbert would finish school and could finally marry Anne as he had always dreamed, he decided after their second year of college that it was time to make his intentions official. He hated that the engagement would be so long and he knew Anne had no doubt of their future together, but he worried if he didn’t do it soon, he would accidentally blurt it out one day rather than giving her a proper proposal. After a glorious day spent together upon his return home from Toronto, he proposed in front of their old school, a nod to the place where he first saw her and felt a curious beat of his heart when he first heard her name. Her engagement ring was a lustrous pearl surrounded by gemstones, since he knew well her disappointment with diamonds.

Anne was still in Avonlea when she received Roy’s letter responding to the news of her engagement. More importantly, Gilbert was still home as well and watched as Anne unwrapped a small box that accompanied the letter. She gasped as she opened the lid, taking in the warm glow of a gorgeous amethyst pendant necklace.

_Every blushing bride needs a bauble to accentuate her beauty,_ the letter read by way of explanation. Gilbert began to calculate exactly how much he would have to work to replace that stupid necklace with a more impressive one before their wedding. There was no way he intended to see a gift from Roy Gardner when he stood at the altar with Anne (once again, he was overthinking – Anne had her wedding outfit already planned, and she had no need for any baubles to enhance the ethereal picture in her mind). The horrifying thought crossed his mind that Roy might actually try to return for the wedding. He couldn’t begin to imagine the wildly inappropriate things Roy would say if he personally witnessed Anne in her full, white, bridal glory. _You cannot punch anyone on your wedding day_, he told himself sternly_._ He considered vaguely that he should ask Cole if there was some kind of artists’ sojourn that would keep Roy in the Himalayas for the next decade or so. Otherwise, at the rate they were going, by the time Anne had their first child Roy would be gifting her the Queen’s jewels.

(In fact, upon the birth of baby Rilla, “Uncle Roy” gifted the Blythe children with six identical teddy bears from Harrod’s, except that each sported a vest and jaunty hat in different colors and the child’s name was embroidered on one whisper soft ear. The children loved those bears more than any other toy in the world, and Gilbert was forever finding them scattered all over the house. Traitors, the whole lot of them.)

“Oh Marilla,” Anne started, “you should try this on!” That pulled Gilbert out of his irritated musings.

“It is your gift, Anne,” Marilla said curtly. She had been watching Gilbert’s reaction closely and rather thought the young man would be within his right to say that another fellow shouldn’t be sending his fiancée such expensive gifts.

“Oh, Roy probably bought this for some lady or other and then it turned out she had a husband and he gave up on the idea. Rich people do that sort of thing. If I hadn’t told him of our engagement it would have ended up in the hands of a poor girl who had been recently scorned and needed a bit of joy in her life. And,” she continued, fixing the chain so that it settled nicely over Marilla’s high-necked dress, “it goes perfectly with your broach. Just imagine the picture you will be on Sunday morning.” She smiled indulgently at the sight of Marilla, enjoying for a moment the excitement of seeing herself wearing the beautiful, delicate jewel.

“Besides,” she added, turning to stand behind Gilbert and wrap her arms around his shoulders, “I’m already wearing all the jewelry I want.” Gilbert raised his hand to hers with a smile, and felt his fingers brush over her ring. Suddenly the gift didn’t bother him so much, after all. 

When Gilbert arrived home, he discovered to his dismay that he also had a letter and a package from Roy. The package contained a mysterious instruction that he was not to open it in front of Anne, which did not improve his feelings about the entire thing.

_Gilbert, my boy_,

Gilbert sighed deeply and wondered if he should simply throw the letter and the package in the fire. He suspected he could be walking with a cane and Roy would still greet him that way.

_I am to understand that you have finally gathered enough bravery to snatch Anne off the market before any more men discover her surpassing loveliness and seek to steal her away. _He should have thrown it in the fire, after all. _I suppose three years too late is better than never. _

Anne never complained that he was a bit…slow with admitting his feelings, but evidently Gardner had the memory of an elephant.

_I hope you will appreciate my gift in the spirit in which it was intended. I have learned over the years that the French are far more, well, let’s say creative and open in their expressions of love. _WHAT? Gilbert tore open the packaging and found himself trying to use his middling French to understand the purpose of the book he found in his hand. Then he opened the cover and the illustrations inside left very little doubt. _Although I know that the blessed event is still many years in the future, sometimes it requires many years of thorough study to truly acquire a skill. I thought you would like ample time to prepare. _It was best that Gardner was an ocean away, so that Gilbert could not throw him into the fire instead.

_I should note, however, that if you dare get her with child before you are ready to care for them both, I swear to you that I will travel back from wherever I am to personally kill you or worse and marry her myself._

Gilbert threw aside the paper in disgust. “Why does everyone think I can’t control myself without the threat of -!” He shuddered and didn’t finish the sentence.

Roy’s gift-giving streak was rewarded in delightful fashion when he received an unexpected letter from Gilbert.

_Gardner,_

_Your gift is noted. _Roy laughed for a good five minutes at that. Blythe might think he had no talent for writing, and yet Roy could picture the exact, irate face Gilbert must have worn as he wrote those four words.

_As you might expect, I neither want nor need further commentary on any part of your letter. I have no desire to discuss marital life with anyone, and I certainly cannot imagine that you would be so audacious as to assume that Anne would want you contemplating her in that fashion. _

This entire exchange was a gift in itself, truly. Blythe was such a prude. _More importantly, Anne is my responsibility, _(a bit possessive, but since Roy had just threatened to marry her he supposed that was fair) _and I will never do anything to fall down on that responsibility in the whole of my life. I do not need threats to do the right thing when it comes to the woman I love. _

Roy smiled widely. There it was. The rather quiet Blythe could be trusted to make his position known when push came to shove. Roy could never quite escape his worry that no man was truly good enough for his darling Anne, and the news of her engagement brought on more anxiety than he anticipated. If he had been honest with himself (which he wasn’t), he would have realized that the letter was designed to test Blythe just a little more. He was mostly happy that Blythe passed with flying colors.

_I am sure you know this as well, but I have not changed my earlier position, either. I still have a small dinghy, and I do not mind if you spend the rest of your life bobbing along the ocean in it. I hope Vienna is all you hoped and contains amusements enough to keep you entertained for years to come._

Anne might be the writer in the relationship, but Blythe evidently possessed the talent for passive-aggressive commentary that would put the best aristocratic members of society to shame. Roy decided the boy had earned one sincere letter for responding to his audacity with only a single threat of bodily harm.

A short letter arrived at the Blythe farm a few weeks later with another suspicious looking parcel.

_Blythe,_

_Forgive an old friend for being overprotective. I know perfectly well what kind of man you are, but I have also been in love a time or two and I know the toll it must take on both of you to wait so long. I also know I have no need to say this, but take care of our girl. We both know that she will take care of you twice as much. _

_I wish you both the best, truly._

_Yours, etc.,_

_Royal Gardner _

_PS – I assume this book will also come in handy, but I will ask no further about it. _Gilbert opened this package to find very detailed French-English dictionary inside. It did, in fact, come in very handy, though not a soul in the world ever learned about either addition to his library.


	13. Roy Writes Smut and Gilbert Sort of Thanks Him

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Roy isn't done with his shocking statements just because they now come in letter form.

When he could, Roy still preferred to write to Anne from his favorite café in Vienna, where all the staff was pretty or handsome and the view of the bustling city was incomparable. He could usually wheedle free coffee and cakes out of the very grateful owner, Georg. After his best baker nearly returned to her hometown in distress because her beau had stopped returning her letters and she despaired that he had abandoned her, Roy came to the rescue to sort out the poor girl. It turned out the blackguard in her hometown had in fact married another without telling her, so Roy was more than happy to settle that score with a good blow to the jaw and a warning to the fellow’s wife that she might want to keep a close eye on him. Then it turned out that Georg’s concern had more to do with losing Gisela herself than her baking skills, so Roy happily turned to the business of pointing Gisela in the direction of the kind, shy fellow. 

(It was best that Georg didn’t know that Roy had started his efforts to “sort out” Gisela after a night spent trying to distract the girl from her unhappiness in an entirely different manner. It would be such a shame to be run out of his favorite café for enjoying the charms of the staff. Just imagine the places he’d never be able to frequent again if that were the case).

Of course, he had regaled Anne with the story of his matchmaking (pointedly leaving out the one little detail that Gisela would not have wished to be known), as he did so many of his exciting adventures chasing fascinating women and convincing a few of them to marry good but hapless men. Hopeless romantic that she was, she loved his tales and sent back delightful reactions in reply. A time or two, she even offered suggestions for the hapless men that turned out to be quite useful. Roy considered it fortunate for Blythe that Anne seemed to sympathize with the plight of these well-meaning but clueless fellows, but he knew it best not to say such things to Anne.

Occasionally he couldn’t help but let his stories take a turn into the slightly salacious, in part because he suspected that his ever-curious darling Anne would love to know something about the world beyond the staid society of PEI, even if she wouldn’t want to live it. In one of his first letters, his description of la Bohème included his analysis of how realistic the story was, peppered with shocking descriptions of similar behavior from his friends. Anne suspected he was rather a better storyteller than he would admit, because it did not seem possible that such stories were true (of course, Roy had in fact made them less explicit than he could have, not wanting to completely offend Anne’s sensibilities). How could it be possible to pass three days, constantly “free of restrictive clothing” (per Roy’s delicate description), in the studio of some artist without ever learning the artist’s name? Wasn’t rather unhealthy to run around unclothed all day? She supposed a lot of people died in those operas, so really who knows.

She had to admit that Roy’s tales gave her fantastic fodder for her own writing over the years, though when she first slipped in her own character who made a habit of going unclothed much of the time, she felt sure that Gilbert nearly died of shock. She explained with a smile that she got the idea from Roy, which merely led to a lot of grumbling. “It does sound fun,” she whispered, leaning over him. “We should try it some time.” Once again Anne displayed considerable talent for using Roy’s nonsense to Gilbert’s advantage and he promptly forgot that this dandy jackass was sending his fiancée letters that would likely be banned from Canada if put in print.

This time, though, he had Cole peering over his shoulder to critique his writing. Cole had finally accepted his invitation to enjoy the delights of the European art world, though he suspected that he had not convinced Cole to follow in Roy’s footsteps. He was like Anne that way, Roy mused. He might be more than Avonlea was entirely prepared to handle, but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t return home someday and force Avonlea to handle him, anyway.

“Roy, no,” Cole said firmly, pointing to a paragraph near the top of the letter. “You cannot say to Anne that ‘With your captivating hair and luminous complexion, you would have made an incredible muse, though considering how most muses are posed perhaps it is best that we don’t discuss it further.’ Roy, you cannot make references to nude paintings and Anne.”

“What? I said I wouldn’t discuss it further.”

“Gilbert is going to come here and stab you if you don’t stop.”

“Blythe has made it clear he would let me die of exposure, actually.” Cole looked at him quizzically, but finally concluded that Gilbert probably had actually said such a thing to Roy and that Roy probably deserved to hear it. “When you think about it, I would suffer longer that way and the crime would be unlikely to be connected back to him. I really have to respect his creativity.”

“I would argue with you further, but since I am still forced to watch the two of them be disgustingly in love all the time when I am home, I give up.”

“Cole, you misunderstand me,” Roy replied with mock insult. “I am trying to help Blythe, truly.”

“How…”

“Even men in love sometimes become overconfident or complacent, once they have secured their ladies. It is easy to assume that you have secured them and slip a little in giving one’s lover the admiration and attention she deserves. I merely ensure that ladies remember the fine qualities that attracted their men in the first place, and that the gentlemen remember that someone else would be happy to take their place if the lovely woman is ever neglected. I daresay that there are some chaps at Redmond who would probably love to convey exactly these sentiments to Anne. Blythe should be thankful that I am doing it instead, a man thousands of miles away who would not truly do any of the things I threaten.”

. . .

Gilbert had in fact stopped reading Roy’s letters, knowing that Anne took no real notice of the things that Roy said other than as entertainment, and also knowing that it was probably not good for his health to want to kill a man all the time. That particular letter, muses and all, Gilbert never even knew she received until she came to him to read the postscript.

_PS – I have misplaced my French dictionary and simply cannot find anyone to translate the meaning of ‘la petite mort’, particularly in the case of ‘les femmes’ for me. Perhaps you could ask Blythe for me? I hope he has studied his French well enough to learn that one_.

She looked up at Gilbert, puzzled. “Roy’s French is excellent. Do you have any idea why he thinks that you would need to help him translate –“ she peered at the letter again, “’the little death’?” Even I know that one. And…'women'?”

Gilbert’s eyes widened alarmingly and he snatched the paper from her hand. He failed to suppress his outraged huff. Anne eyed him suspiciously. “Am I missing something?”

He recovered smoothly and replied, “Perhaps Roy thinks we should honeymoon in Paris.”

“We could never honeymoon anywhere on the European continent or we risk Roy coming to join us,” Anne said with a slight shudder. “Just imagine, somehow we would end up stuck in a rambling chateau with a disgraced prince and three fallen debutantes trying to convince us to play some version of poker where we remove an item of clothing every time we lose a hand.”

“Just what _does_ he write to you?” Gilbert exclaimed, though even as he said it, his mind had moved on. Hang the disgraced prince and the three debutantes, but as a new form of checkers with Anne this idea had its merits….

“I do believe Roy’s imagination outshines even mine, dear Gilbert.”

“It’s no matter, I suppose. If you would like to speak French on our honeymoon, we can always go to Montreal.” Anne agreed enthusiastically.

Roy received Gilbert’s response in a shockingly short amount of time.

_Gardner,_

_I seem to recall that you agreed not to discuss such matters further. You can assume that my French is more than adequate and Anne seems to appreciate my English perfectly as well. More to the point, do you know any stories you could share with Anne that don’t end in nudity?_

He had already sent a letter to Anne recently that regaled her with the tale of a week-long house party that ended with two of the guests stuck in a nearby abandoned cave for the night, though of course Roy never believed for a moment that the recently widowed Comtesse could not have seen fit to find her way home if she had wanted. Certainly the ordeal didn’t seem so harrowing to explain why the lady’s dress ended up in the state it did. Cole had joined the party as well and commented as they left that perhaps he preferred Canadian parties, where he could be reasonably certain that no one would accidentally climb into his bed instead of their own and then proceed simply to fall asleep anyway rather than correct the mistake when presented with it.

Alas, perhaps that was the last exciting tale of love affairs for Anne. It was possible, he supposed, that she didn’t enjoy them as much as he hoped, and he didn’t want to make her uncomfortable. He would ask in his next letter, but of course it was more fun to send one to Gilbert first.

_Dear Gilbert,_

Was it some sort of peace offering that Roy actually started the letter like a normal person?

_You are correct – I went back on my earlier word and for that I am sorry. In exchange, I truly will not do it again and I will even avoid veiled jokes and references to such matters when I come for your wedding, which I am sure you will appreciate._

How thoughtful of Roy to say something that made him happy and something that made him livid in one sentence. Perhaps he and Anne should elope.

_If you don’t want me giving you help in this area I suppose that is fine, though it is just about the only useful advice I would be able to give to a married man so my options are rather few. _Yes, no advice would be spectacular.

_I generally find that ladies who read salacious stories are more particularly…curious with their partners, but if you do not enjoy that kind of thing then I will simply write to Anne about baking and knitting. I am sure her quiet and demure personality is what attracted you to her in the first place, so certainly we want to cultivate that. _

Another surprisingly short time later, there was another note from Gilbert. Roy began to worry that people would believe they wrote to each other out of some kind of mutual admiration, perish the thought.

_Gardner,_

_Your stories are fine. No more allusions to nudity that in any way, directly or indirectly, point to my fiancée. Agreed?_

Roy had to wonder just exactly what happened after his latest exciting missive went to Anne, though sadly the two of them were not the type to share.


	14. Roy Loves Weddings and Gilbert Wants to Kill Him

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Roy is very excited to be a wedding guest, and Gilbert is very unhappy to see him.

For Anne and Gilbert, the wait until their wedding day felt agonizingly slow at times, though they busied themselves with hard work and welcome breaks together. For Roy, on the other hand, who didn’t entirely want the day to come at all, it felt lightning fast. Soon, Roy held in his hand Anne’s letter, informing him that her wedding had been set for early September. Roy imagined Anne in her bridal glory, ruddy hair set against the brilliant green backdrop of a still summer-like day in Avonlea, and sighed audibly. He was in Florence, for now, having followed an actress there the previous winter. The actress, in turn, had a previous relationship with the owner of the villa where they currently lived. The identity of the villa’s owner and the nature of the previous relationship was still not entirely clear to Roy, and occasionally he wondered if he should move on before he learned if the Carabinieri were in fact investigating the man’s business dealings (there were also whisperings of ties to the Ottomans or the Russian Empire or some such). It would be so unpleasant to have to flee Italy and leave unfinished paintings behind. It seemed time to move on from his current amusements, starting with a long-awaited return to Canada to watch his darling Anne marry the man of her dreams. He supposed he had the entire trans-Atlantic passage to practice hiding his jealousy.

He immediately responded to the invitation to give Anne ample time to prepare for another guest – and Gilbert ample time to stew about his return. Sadly, he never learned exactly how much Gilbert inwardly raged at the thought of Roy’s presence, though he would have enjoyed the knowledge thoroughly.

_Darling Anne,_

_How happy I was to receive your invitation! Please do make room for one more dear kindred spirit at your table, for I will be there in person to celebrate this joyous occasion._

_I am anxiously awaiting your wedding day. I can only begin to imagine how stunning you are in your bridal gown, and I am counting down the days until the two months have passed and I am there to see you in person._

Gilbert had returned to Avonlea from Toronto only a day earlier when Anne excitedly marched into the kitchen, letter in hand, to announce that Roy would be coming for the wedding! Gilbert wondered briefly if he would have preferred to stay and finish another two weeks of research before arriving to help with wedding plans. At least that way he would have spent those two weeks _not_ thinking about the myriad ways Roy was sure to drive him insane during his visit.

Gilbert read the letter in its entirety, even the full paragraph imagining every last detail of Anne in her “bridal glory” and the request that she sit for a portrait during his stay so that he could “capture your ethereal beauty for all time.” Gilbert audibly groaned and rolled his eyes, but Anne was too preoccupied with measuring Delly for her flower girl dress to notice. Bash, however, shot him a look. Gilbert slid the paper across the table and Bash scanned the words, unable to cover his amusement.

“So, is Gardner staying in the Green Gables spare room? I’m sure he’d like to be the first to see the bride on her wedding day,” Bash helpfully observed.

“There is a hotel in town now,” Gilbert replied through gritted teeth.

“Come now, you know he’s no threat, you fool.”

“If someday, a rich, handsome artist sniffs around your sweetheart talking about nude paintings and ‘fiery tresses’, you can tell me if you want him within 100 miles of her. Until then, Gardner can stay in my bed and I’ll sleep in the hayloft, for all I care, but he’s not staying at Green Gables again.”

Bash grinned and shook his head. Blythe might be a grown man now and a doctor, but it seemed that Anne would never fail to turn otherwise level-headed Blythe a bit excitable.

. . .

Gilbert somehow ended up collecting Roy from the train station, Anne being far too busy with wedding preparations at home. The fellow hadn’t been kind enough to lose his good looks in the years since they had parted, Gilbert noted peevishly. The porters unloaded so many trunks and boxes onto the platform that Gilbert despaired of fitting them all in the carriage. As it was, one box was nestled uncomfortably at his feet and another was on Roy’s lap.

“You aren’t planning to move here, are you?” Gilbert asked as he watched the pile grow.

“What, are you hoping for a new neighbor?” Gilbert didn’t respond, but the clench of his jaw left no doubt of his opinion of that idea. “It is my darling Anne’s wedding; of course I had to come amply prepared.”

“It’s my wedding too, Gardner.”

“Well, every wedding has some imperfection.”

Roy watched as Gilbert almost literally bit his tongue to avoid responding, and suspected this visit might be great fun indeed, despite the dreaded main event.

“I notice you didn’t take me up on my offer to honeymoon in Europe with me and my friends.” Roy finally observed as the drive began, shooting Gilbert a knowing grin.

“Yes, Roy, because honeymoons are usually for two people, and _only_ two people.”

“Not the fun ones,” Roy replied, arching a single brow at the scowling groom beside him. Since Gilbert decided he couldn’t start his wedding festivities by throwing Roy from a moving carriage, he moved on without finding out exactly what that statement was supposed to mean.

They rode along in silence for a while, as Roy steeled himself to see Anne again and Gilbert calculated exactly how many hours he would have to spend in this jackass’s company before he and Anne departed on their honeymoon. Gilbert was lost in happy thoughts about long days and nights with Anne when Roy interrupted his reverie with –

“I know I am not allowed to discuss _certain topics_, so I will simply assume that my gift has been put to good use and you are prepared for the wedding night.”

“How is that not discussing it?!”

“I did not ask any questions and merely made assumptions, so we are not really discussing it, are we? You’re free not to answer so I’m really just talking to myself. Though I would think a fellow would want to be especially sure that he didn’t disappoint his bride mere hours after the wedding,” he muttered the last statement just low enough to pretend he was speaking only to himself, but loudly enough that Gilbert was sure to hear. He was rewarded with a frustrated huff from his companion.

“Anne is more than satisfied –“

“Oh, so this is already current knowledge?” Roy perked up at this turn in the conversation as Gilbert’s face registered his annoyance at being goaded into that admission.

“Of course I don’t mean it like that and it is still none of your business.”

“Ha, I knew you wouldn’t be able to hold yourself to merely kissing, and thank goodness for that. Imagine leaving a lady entirely sexually frustrated for _five years or more_…” Roy shuddered at that thought.

“Roy!”

“I try to give you a compliment and you won’t even accept it.” Roy shook his head dramatically.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll do another chapter of the wedding, but I was afraid it would be too long if I did the entire wedding in one shot!


	15. Roy Loves Weddings and Gilbert Wants to Kill Him, Still

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> More wedding festivities...and now Roy has brought gifts.

Roy learned, to his great amusement, that he was to stay at the Blythe house during his visit, along with Cole. “There are too many other guests staying at Green Gables so there isn’t room for you,” Gilbert explained as casually as he could manage. Roy didn’t believe Gilbert’s motivation was so…logistical, but he hid his suspicious grin.

“Well, that’s perfect. This way we men can bond without being distracted by lovely ladies.”

“I think I will be very busy with wedding preparations so I don’t think I will be able to spend much time – “

“We’ll see,” Roy replied noncommittally as they pulled into the yard of Green Gables. Anne rushed outside to greet them, Cole and Diana trailing behind her.

“You weren’t kidding – he really is very handsome,” Diana observed to Cole as they descended the stairs.

“Don’t even think about it, Diana. Look at him for too long and you’ll end up spending six months following him around Europe dressed like a cabaret singer and drinking champagne for breakfast.”

“You say that like it’s a bad thing,” Diana said slyly. “I do have my concert tour in Europe coming up.”

“Thank goodness Roy would never dare to compromise his darling Anne’s best friend,” Cole muttered to himself as they neared their companions.

Roy’s face flashed for only a second at the sight of Anne, looking even more unfairly beautiful than she had been when he left. The years had done nothing to dull the sparkle in her eyes or the lively openness of her expressions, but instead had only enhanced a loveliness and self-confidence that came with making her own way in the world. He swept her up into a hug and spun her around with unbounded enthusiasm. When he finally let her feet touch the ground, she swayed unevenly on her feet and reached out to Gilbert (who was suddenly very close to her) to regain her balance.

He turned to embrace Cole next. “You got one, now, no more touching Anne,” Cole admonished him quietly as they hugged. “Give Gilbert a break, will you?” Roy merely winked at him conspiratorially.

Roy enlisted Gilbert and Cole to help him carry his mountain of boxes into the kitchen, where he began to rapidly unpack an alarming pile of wrapped packages.

“I come bearing gifts!”

“Did you buy out Europe?” Gilbert asked.

“Oh, these are mostly from Anne’s admirers. They so adore her writing.”

Anne’s eyes were shining with amusement at the spread, which filled the table and a good portion of the floor. “I have fans in Europe?”

“Of course you do, darling Anne. With your talent, did you expect anything less?”

“There are five separate boxes from a…Laurent Dechamps? Isn’t that a little much?” Anne asked, peering at the names on the packages.

“I told Laurent not to be so generous, but he just finds you inspiring. I daresay, though, that he’s also just a little bit in love with you. He so admired your graduation photo. I suspect if he could have seen your hair in its full beauty, he would have come here himself to try to talk you out of this marriage. You should thank me for stopping him, Blythe,” Roy turned to Gilbert just then, pasting on a bland smile.

Anne rolled her eyes indulgently. “As long as he admires my _writing_, since I don’t think anyone but Gilbert could really admire red hair.” Gilbert’s eyes met hers just then, and a look of aching intimacy passed between them. Roy decided to pretend that he didn’t see it. “I should go find Marilla. She will want to see our gifts!”

Gilbert turned to Roy as Anne disappeared through the kitchen door. “You have found new men to chase my wife?”

“So possessive. She won’t be your wife for another 72 hours. He still has time to woo her.” Roy shrugged. “It’s your own fault for marrying an incredible woman. If you didn’t want to do the work of chasing off competition forever, perhaps you should have chosen differently.”

. . .

They opened the enormous pile of packages, full of gorgeous art, delicate china, lovely hats and scarves, and other precious pieces to fill their new home. Gilbert noticed that none of the packages were from Roy but said nothing. Marilla had stepped away to borrow something from Mrs. Lynde when Roy produced one more package.

“I wouldn’t open this one in front of Marilla, or at least you need to wait to wear it for the rest of us until she’s away. Nicolette has exquisite taste in revealing lingerie but I’m sure it’s also quite –“

“Gardner, would you care to go boating?” Gilbert growled quietly at him.

Roy’s face broke into a grin. “Took you three hours longer than I thought. But then, you always are a little late in saying things.”

Anne and Diana exchanged confused glances. “You wanted Gilbert to take you boating?” Anne asked.

“I just think Gilbert needs some time with the men before he gets hitched,” Roy replied smoothly. Gilbert and Cole both stared at him, worried that this conversation was veering into dangerous territory. “In fact, don’t you think we should have a stag party for him?”

“As long as it is the kind of stag party that Gilbert would plan, and not a Roy stag party, then yes,” Anne laughed. “No opera singers, no suspected criminals, oh, and remember that letter from last summer? Absolutely none of those activities.”

“Anne, darling, I could never get your intended to do any such thing.” Anne smiled, because Roy was absolutely correct. “We just need to make sure he has a little, ah, _manly fun_, before the wedding.” Neither Gilbert nor Cole had moved or spoken, as they both struggled to find a delicate way out of this nightmare. Just then, Bash entered the Green Gables kitchen.

“BASH, my friend!” Roy gave him a friendly clap on the back by way of greeting. “We were just saying that Gilbert needs a night with the men to celebrate his nuptials. Don’t you agree?”

Bash took in Gilbert’s thunderous expression and replied, “Oh, absolutely.”


	16. Roy Buys More Excellent Gifts and Gilbert Actually Appreciates It

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stag night and wedding day!

Roy had amply prepared for a night of revelry by carefully transporting his fine stock of brandy across the Atlantic, along with some luxurious champagne for the wedding itself. Of course, Gilbert’s actual stag night was so tame that it hardly qualified as a party at all by Roy’s standards, but since he wasn’t permitted to include dancers, gambling, or, as Anne termed them “pranks that might result in any bodily harm to my future husband,” (it was unfortunate that Anne was clever enough to guess exactly what Roy had planned and to provide her list of demands with all the precision of a barrister), he had to make do with what he could. Marilla and Hazel provided the food, Bash prepared a large bonfire in a prime spot in the yard of the Blythe-LaCroix farm, and the ladies stayed away so that the men could drink and tease Blythe to their heart’s content. Roy stayed close to Blythe, because of course his entire aim in hosting the evening was precisely to get drunk and tease Blythe.

In truth, much of the fun came in the 24 hours preceding the party, as he and Bash loudly planned the evening whenever Blythe was in earshot, making increasingly ridiculous suggestions.

“Did we get train tickets for Halifax? I don’t see how we can do this unless we can go to at least four pubs,” Roy fairly shouted to Bash as they stood in the yard of Green Gables, setting up tables and chairs.

“You’re not getting me to miss my own wedding with your absurd scheme, Gardner,” Gilbert called down to him as he strung ribbons and flowers across several trees, per Anne’s specifications.

“Is Halifax really so far from here? I must have lost all sense of the vastness of this land in the time I’ve been in Europe,” Roy replied with a shake of his head. “It’s no matter, I’ve secured my theatre friends for the Gilbert-and-Anne-themed pantomime. They just need a little help to find the right fellow to play Gilbert. No one is humorless enough to do you justice. And do you know how hard it is to find words for human anatomy that rhyme with ‘Gilbert’?” The person in question was suddenly fascinated with the specifics of ribbon decoration and appeared to be ignoring this conversation entirely.

“Wait, but is that before or after roller skating?” Bash asked.

“I don’t know – what if Blythe falls and breaks an ankle? I might have to take over his duties as a groom, in that case,” Roy offered helpfully.

“I could break your ankles right now and then we wouldn’t have to do any of these things,” Gilbert finally said, still not turning around.

“Did we decide against hunting?”

“I’m not giving you a chance to shoot me before the wedding, Gardner.”

“Croquet?”

“I will end up whacking you over the head with a mallet.”

“Boxing? You could spend your stag night punching me in the face!”

“Don’t tempt me.”

“Your bride would punish you for giving into your temper, though,” he said with a smile as Gilbert glared at him, knowing full well that Roy was correct.

As it was, the actual night featured none of these nightmarish scenarios, to Gilbert’s immense relief (though he truly should have thanked his bride for saving him from a worse fate). They invited a few of Gilbert’s old classmates and Gilbert’s medical school friends who had traveled the long distance to Avonlea for the wedding. Roy reflected that it was a good sign of Gilbert’s character that his friends felt warmly enough about him to travel so far, but of course he wasn’t going to bother to _say_ that. Elijah also joined them for the festivities, so they made a reasonably large and merry party.

Someone had also produced beer from somewhere for the occasion, so along with the brandy the party was soon in full swing, as evidenced by the increasing number of bawdy jokes at Gilbert’s expense. It turned out that it was remarkably easy to manipulate Gilbert’s soused friends into this effort with the slightest encouragement (as they too had seen the way Gilbert looked at Anne over the years), so Roy could watch Gilbert’s increasing discomfort without have to make a single comment himself. He rather thought Gilbert knew that he was the cause of the relentless innuendo, but really, in a group of drunk men before a wedding, wasn’t this sort of thing inevitable?

Only two partygoers avoided participating. Moody, as a minister, decided he should stick to supplying banjo music and avoid the brandy and the jokes, though he did remark with a smile that it was nice of Gilbert to fall for Anne at first sight, so that he might have a chance with his own wife. The other guest, a gangly fellow who introduced himself to Roy as Charlie Sloane, spent most of the evening partaking of Roy’s best brandy in large gulps and eyeing Gilbert resentfully. Finally, he stood and approached the guest of honor for the first time all night.

“Well Blythe, I guess you’re really doing it. Good luck-h handling her-r,” he said, struggling a bit to form the words without slurring.

Roy, Cole, and Bash, all seated around the fire with Gilbert, exchanged glances and Bash gave a confused shrug.

“I don’t need luck, Charlie, but thank you. I’m sure you’re very happy that Anne turned you down and you aren’t stuck with a passionate woman who can’t bear children,” Gilbert replied, his voice equal parts amusement and triumph.

Charlie started, as though a long-forgotten memory was flooding back. “S-she told you about that?”

Gilbert laughed. “She tells me everything, Charlie. I guess I’ll see if you’re right, won’t I?”

Roy dug his fingers into Cole’s arm to stop himself from gasping out loud. Bash glanced at Roy and Cole and mouthed, “DAMN.”

Charlie gave Gilbert a short nod and returned to Roy’s precious bottle of brandy. Roy had half a mind to snatch it away before this Charlie drank it all. He certainly wasn’t interested in wasting his good spirits on a fellow who had caused his darling Anne some kind of distress.

“What was that?” Bash asked in astonishment as soon as Charlie was out of earshot.

“Charlie hasn’t exactly forgiven me for ‘stealing Anne’ after he tried to get her to court him, and I haven’t exactly forgiven Charlie for, well, trying, and for making her worry that she might be barren.”

“He actually said that to her?!” Roy exclaimed. He had heard some crazy things in his life, but really, how on earth would a man think that passion dampened the prospects of children? That certainly wasn’t the way it worked out it his experience, unless one was very, very careful.

“Yes, while we were still at Avonlea school. So, the girls made Anne ask me about the medical accuracy of Charlie’s ridiculous statement.”

“You never told me about this!” Bash said, nearly sloshing half the brandy out of his glass as he waved his hand around.

“Um, yes, at the time I decided that I would not tell you when the girl that I secretly liked –“

“Not very secretly were madly, pathetically in love with and should have admitted –“ Bash interjected while Roy and Cole nodded their agreement.

“_Secretly liked_,” Gilbert continued, “asked me, on the steps of the church with the minister five feet away, and in front of every girl in our class, whether I thought she would be able to bear children? _No_, I thought I would keep that horrifically embarrassing moment to myself, knowing you as I do, thanks.” _Why did I just say all of that?! This is all Gardner’s fault, him and his damned good brandy_, Gilbert thought, realizing for the first time that his head was quite fuzzy, indeed_._

“You never let me have any fun, Blythe,” Bash grumbled.

Roy, for his part, sat momentarily speechless, for he could not think of a single thing he could say or do on this night that would outshine his delight at imagining a nervous, teenaged Blythe, trying desperately not to humiliate himself before the girl of his dreams as she asked him about reproduction in front of God and a gaggle of female classmates. If ever he felt despair again in his life, he could remember that Gilbert had lived through that moment and feel that joy still existed in his heart.

Roy could not resist his next question. “So, as a man of science, I’m sure you resolved to thoroughly test Charlie’s theory, as you stood in full view of the minister and the entire congregation?”

Even in the firelight, Gilbert’s suddenly crimson face was apparent to his three companions.

_Oh God, I know him far too well_, Roy thought with a wicked grin. _How did Blythe even survive that encounter_?

Roy collapsed to the ground first, nearly rolling straight into the fire as he was overcome with mirth. Bash and Cole also fell drunkenly out of their seats and ended up in a heap in the dirt, breathless with laughter.

“What’s so funny?” Alec, one of Gilbert’s medical school chums, had come to investigate the cause of their amusement.

“You had to be there,” Roy finally choked out, as Gilbert flashed a brief look of gratitude. Roy might love this story, but even he had some compassion for the man. Considering that Blythe probably thought he would be struck down by the Almighty for lustful thoughts on the church steps, he had already suffered enough.

. . .

Finally, the guests began to disperse, stumbling in the direction of their respective lodgings. Roy rather wondered if a few of them would end up falling asleep in a field long before they reached their beds, given how much they had partaken in his brandy stock. It had mostly gone off without a hitch, though Roy had thrown some jackass named Billy Andrews out of the party long before everyone else. It seemed Andrews couldn’t keep his opinions of Anne to himself after he was in his cups, though thankfully only Roy and Cole heard his most offensive commentary. Roy was acutely aware that Anne would be very distressed if she learned of any scene at Gilbert’s party, so he hauled the man away with a warning rather than delivering the solid thrashing he truly deserved.

Gilbert watched him silently as he frog-marched Billy to the driveway and directed the idiot to return home before he overstayed his welcome. Billy had learned a few things over the years and took the hint.

He returned to his seat next to Gilbert, who gave him a most unexpected pat on the back.

“Thanks – I don’t know what happened, but I can assume it’s best that you handled it.”

“He is an ass.”

“Yes, always has been.” Gilbert laughed, remembering a long-ago afternoon through his brandy-induced haze. “I’ve already fought him once. Someone else should get an opportunity.”

“What?! And all this time I thought I was safe because you’d never do such a thing.”

“This would have been, I guess, a few months after Anne first came here? Long story short, I told him to stop hassling Anne, he wasn’t listening, and I wanted to make sure he got the message.”

“Did you win?”

“Of course, I had to be sure he didn’t bother her again, didn’t I? Once I had him pinned to the ground with two solid punches to the face, I figured the message was received.”

Roy chuckled, letting his own drunkenness make him far too honest. “Sometimes it’s very hard not to like you.”

“Same here,” Gilbert replied, almost regretfully.

“But then I remember that I can’t marry Anne if you do.”

“Yes, and just like that, I am also recovered from my temporary insanity.”

. . .

In the blink of an eye, Anne and Gilbert’s wedding day dawned. Roy was truly too overcome with emotion to even consider causing mischief, and he certainly wouldn’t risk doing anything to take away from his darling Anne’s special day. Bash and Cole noticed his subdued demeanor over the breakfast table before they all rushed to finish preparations, but Gilbert was too full of anticipation for the day to notice much of anything.

Neither Gilbert nor Roy could have prepared themselves for the moment when Anne finally descended the steps of Green Gables, hand resting on Matthew’s arm, eyes looking nowhere but at the man she loved. Roy felt an old familiar pang as he watched her, one filled with equal parts longing and contentment. He might have wished that things were different, and he was the one who would fully claim her heart. They weren’t different, though, and so Roy managed to be happy in the knowledge that Anne would spend her life with the man who belonged there, her life mate, who would share love, joy, sorrow, intellect, and passion with her, as long as they lived.

Gilbert was nearly dizzy with shock at the sight of her, and realized that up until that moment, he hadn’t fully been able to grasp that it was really happening, that she was really _his_. For a second, he felt the years of waiting wash over him, every stab of doubt, moment of longing, flash of frustration, and shock of realization, before it all ebbed completely. Anne was looking at him, eyes shining with unshed tears, full of hope and unafraid. Whatever came in this life, from this moment on, celebration and mourning, play and work, loving and fighting, they would do together.

Roy sought out the newlyweds as they took a break from the reception festivities to enjoy their cake.

“Now it is time for my wedding gift to you, since Blythe here so rudely refused to let me pay for a lavish wedding in Charlottetown.”

“Perhaps etiquette books are different in Europe but here in Canada we do not ordinarily allow random men to –“

Roy ignored Gilbert’s tirade and produced an envelope, pressing it into Anne’s hand. She slowly opened the crisp paper inside and gasped as she read.

“I knew Blythe here would be far too proud to accept a large sum of money from me,” Roy began, as Gilbert nodded in agreement, “but I also know what matters to you two far more than riches for yourselves.” Anne turned the paper so that Gilbert could read it too, and for once Gilbert glanced up at Roy in admiration. It was a trust, in Delly’s name, for the benefit of her education. Anne excitedly ran over to Bash to show him.

Roy leaned over to Gilbert, who was still staring at him in shock. “I suppose it also goes without saying that if you need any assistance one day with strong-arming the leadership of a few key universities to admit her, I could call in some favors.”

“Does anyone in this world _not _owe you a favor?” Gilbert asked.

Roy smirked. “You certainly owe me a debt of gratitude for a few things.”

Just like that, Gilbert’s admiration was gone, and his brows betrayed his annoyance and confusion once again. “Are most men so grateful to spend time in your company when you would love to have your way with my _wife_?”

“Well, we all have our faults – I, for example, am far too open about affairs of the heart –“

“I don’t think the heart is the correct body part, Gardner –“

“And you perpetually saying things many years too late. We must accept inadequacies in others, right? To be charitable?”

“Oh my – are you ever going to let it go?”

“No, I’m really not.”


	17. Gilbert Really Did Study Thoroughly To Acquire a Skill

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wedding night (warning, smut but not super descriptive). 
> 
> ...and one funny letter from Roy.

The newlyweds were soon ready to depart for the train station, planning to honeymoon in New York before continuing their journey to their new home in Baltimore. Gilbert had been offered a spot on a research team at Johns Hopkins for three years, and Anne had eagerly agreed to the move, thinking that the adventure would provide her with ample material for her writing. 

“Are you stopping in Charlottetown at all before you head to your family’s country house?” Anne asked Roy as they said their goodbyes.

“Yes, I wanted a chance to visit my brother. It’s been so long,” Roy said quietly.

“I have visited often,” Anne assured him, with a gentle hand on his arm. “And he always has flowers on your birthday.”

Roy’s cheeks reddened slightly as he held back a wash of emotion. “I never doubted for a moment that you would keep your promise,” he replied, voice breaking slightly.

Gilbert observed the two of them quietly, certain he was missing something important in this exchange. As another guest interrupted to embrace the bride, Gilbert murmured, “I didn’t know you had any siblings.”

Roy flashed him a sad smile. “I _had_ a twin brother. He died before I met either of you, in a carriage accident.”

Gilbert’s eyes were full of shock and compassion. “I had no idea. I am so sorry.”

Roy shook his head. “Thank you, but it’s fine. I know you know what it’s like.” A moment of understanding passed between them. In addition to loving the same woman, they both knew well the pain of grief. Roy recovered a hint of his usual good humor first. “After Anne and I became friends, she encouraged me to visit him for the first time. Then, when I left for Vienna, she visited herself, knowing that I wouldn’t want my brother left alone anymore after I had neglected him for so long.”

Gilbert had to smile at that. It was so very Anne.

“Perhaps now you understand better why I am so hard on you. I don’t really think you’re good enough for her, but to be fair, I don’t think any man is.”

“Yourself included?”

“Without question.”

They shared another mutual chuckle before both men looked up to the brilliant blue sky for a second, each feeling once again a twinge of annoyance at the realization that they occasionally enjoyed one another’s company. Anne returned to the two of them and gave Roy one more warm hug before taking Gilbert’s offered arm.

“We will miss you, Roy. Be sure to visit again,” Anne said.

Roy’s turned his gaze to Gilbert, who was suppressing a grin and sending Roy a look that fairly screamed, _or you could stay away forever_. Without ever taking his eyes from Gilbert, he said to Anne, “oh yes, perhaps next time I can stay for a full month!” Gilbert merely rolled his eyes and grudgingly took Roy’s offered hand.

Gilbert and Anne soon left in the carriage with Bash, leaving Roy to watch Anne’s departing figure, brilliant red hair still shining as brightly as it had that first night in Aunt Jo’s salon. He allowed himself a moment to sigh wistfully, before turning his attention to the young, widowed Mrs. Harrison, who had been smiling beckoningly at him all day.

. . .

Anne and Gilbert arrived in New Brunswick that evening, not wanting to exhaust themselves on the first leg of their journey by traveling overnight (or so they told themselves and everyone who asked, though absolutely no one believed this excuse). After a quick bite of supper, they retired to the small cottage on the grounds of the seaside inn that would serve as their bridal suite. It had been difficult not to giggle nervously as Gilbert checked them in as “Dr. and Mrs. Blythe,” but Anne tried as best she could to play the part of mature wife, instead of the excited, anxious girl she really felt in that moment.

Her mind kept returning all day to their encounter the night before, and if she read Gilbert’s occasional tension correctly, so did his. She had caught him alone for a few brief, precious moments, and they had both been so desperate for each other that it was a wonder nothing more had happened than a few stolen kisses and touches that did nothing to slake their need. She couldn’t stop hearing Gilbert’s hungry, deep voice in her ear, “God, Anne, I want you so much.”

It wasn’t exactly news to Anne that Gilbert desired her. In fact, she was a bit surprised that she felt such nerves at all on their wedding night, since they had shared an intensely physical relationship for a long time. At first, they took only tentative steps toward greater intimacy (Gilbert being particularly concerned that Anne was comfortable and did not feel unwanted pressure), but they had waited so long and loved each other so much that Anne considered it an inevitability. If anything, she thought with a smile as she remembered, for a while she believed that she was more desperate than Gilbert (she learned that she was entirely mistaken, once she gathered the courage to ask him directly).

As they both grew more comfortable, though, Anne discovered to her delight that her beloved was, in fact, a complete troublemaker in matters of sexual intimacy. Once he felt sure that Anne would not shy away from it, he loved nothing more than to tease, experiment, explore, and describe, in jaw-dropping language, his every thought and desire during their encounters. Anne didn’t entirely know how he had become so creative and talented (since Gilbert would sooner impale himself then utter Roy Gardner’s name in any discussion about sex, so the book that initially fueled his “research” remained a secret), but over time they grew familiar with their own preferences enough that they didn’t seek external guidance to understand how to share pleasure.

No one in their lives knew the full extent of their physical relationship (though of course their friends suspected, as did Bash, since they never dared risk more than passing kisses at Green Gables and so were usually trying to find ways to encourage Bash to leave his house when they were in Avonlea). Still, they couldn’t be intimate nearly as often as they liked, given both distance and propriety, and by the time they arrived in Avonlea for the wedding they were both fairly tightly wound after several months apart. Unfortunately, wedding plans took over almost immediately and they couldn’t seem to find any time alone. Gilbert had seized a brief opportunity one day shortly after his arrival, when Bash was off in the barn doing chores and the Blythe-LaCroix home was otherwise mercifully empty. He lifted Anne onto the kitchen table the moment that Bash disappeared into the barn and stood between her open legs, one hand on her hip and the other stroking her neck. He lowered his lips to her ear, stopping only to give her the softest of kisses, and proceeded to describe exactly what he would _like_ to be doing to her right now, if only he had the time to drag her upstairs, strip her bare, and throw her onto the bed.

The scoundrel left her so affected that she nearly flew out the door when Bash returned a few minutes later, though he had hardly touched her at all. Instead, she was left to spend weeks remembering his every word and tamping down the heat that flowed through her every time she imagined how it would feel when he made good on his promises.

She had paid him back as best she could before the wedding, stopping him on the first night Roy arrived to tell him that she had opened Nicolette’s new lingerie, and it left very little to the imagination. “I might try wearing it tonight while I’m thinking of you,” she said, batting her eyelashes and faking a sweet smile. “It’s a shame you’ll have to wait to see it.” Then she had turned him around and shoved him out to the porch, where he had to shuck peas with Roy and Hazel. Let him suffer though that mental image if he was going to be such a tease.

Still, she supposed, taking deep breaths to steady her racing heart as she walked hand-in-hand with her new husband to the cottage, this was a significant step along the path. They had never tried intercourse, not wanting to risk a pregnancy before they were married. Aside from wondering how the experience might differ from their other intimacies, the entire endeavor seemed full of new meaning when she realized that they might, in fact, bring an entirely new person into existence as a result. She pushed those thoughts aside, for that was far too momentous to even consider if she was going to keep her wits about her.

It turned out there wasn’t much time to worry about keeping her wits about her, since Gilbert was clearly determined to cut off any rational thinking the second they arrived at their lodgings. It reminded her of their last trip to Toronto together, where they told everyone that they were taking the overnight train, and instead stopped along the journey at a hotel, taking full advantage of the 12 hours where no one in the world realized that they were neither on the train nor chaperoned. It turned out, Anne recalled with glee, that Gilbert could use 12 uninterrupted hours very effectively.

This time, Gilbert’s lips were on hers, with her back pressed against the door, before the door had even fully closed.

“I do hope you brought that lingerie,” he murmured.

“Do you want me to put it on now?” she asked, slightly disappointed. She wasn’t exactly interested in slowing down for a wardrobe change at that moment.

She felt him smile against her skin. “Another time. We’ll have plenty of opportunities later….” He trailed off as his lips moved to a particularly sensitive spot on her neck, unpinning her hair as he continued his ministrations. He tangled his fingers into her satiny strands as soon as they tumbled loose and whispered, “_Finally_. I’ve been wanting to do this every day since I came home.”

Anne pulled back and smiled at him. “What haven’t you wanted to do every day since you came home?”

His smoldering, mischievous grin shot heat from her head to her toes. “Is that really my fault when my wife is so beautiful?”

She returned his teasing smile. “I think last time you said you can’t stop touching me because I’m so good at what I do.”

Gilbert returned to kissing her deeply. “We’ve been through this. You’re beautiful, and talented, and loving, and I’m in love with all of it.”

Anne felt herself growing emotional, and said with a slight hitch, “Are you sure you aren’t describing yourself?”

Gilbert tensed slightly at the wavering in her voice and stopped to watch her expressions carefully. “Are you alright, Anne-girl?” he asked, stepping back so that only their hands were touching. “Is this too much right now? I said before that we don’t need to rush –“

She wrapped her hands behind his neck and dragged his lips back to hers. “I’m fine,” she finally said after she gave him a very thorough kiss. “I just can’t believe this day really came. I never really thought I’d marry anyone,” she admitted quietly.

Gilbert cuddled her close and led them both to the bed. She sat between his legs and settled her head against his shoulder, hands still linked behind his neck. They sat quietly for several minutes, Anne tracing her fingers along his neck while he continued to stroke her thick, coppery hair.

“I love you,” she finally whispered. She had such a way with words, and yet sometimes it was still difficult for her to find a way to convey the full extent of her love, though she supposed that pledging to spend her life with him should count for something.

His eyes welled with tears as he stroked her face. “I love you too, and sometimes I still can’t believe you love me.” He could see his bride was about to argue, so he continued. “But I know you do, and I thank God every day of my life that you chose me.”

She threw her arms fully around his neck at that point, and murmured, “Let’s never waste time being apart again.” She felt him his body shake with laughter.

“Yes, I’m going to have to insist that my wife wakes up by my side.”

She tightened her arms again and said, “You just like that idea because you woke up on that trip to Toronto with my hands all over you.” She could feel his entire body tense at the mere mention of that delightful morning.

“That reminds me,” he replied, voice turning to honey once again, “that you are still wearing this dress. And while I love this dress –“

“Of course you do; I picked it for you on purpose. It accentuates my breasts and you are obsessed with them –“

“Be that as it may,” he continued smoothly, since she certainly wasn’t wrong, “I would rather enjoy your perfection without so many layers in the way.” She shot him a knowing look that had him aching with need and slid her hair out of the way so that he could reach the buttons unencumbered. They made short work of their remaining clothing, and Gilbert was soon gazing at her exposed body admiringly, as he always did.

He kissed her gently and paused his attentions for a moment. “Are you sure you don’t have any concerns? We could talk about –“

“Of course I don’t have concerns,” she said, running her thumb over his brow lovingly. “It’s you.” He sucked in his breath and she forced herself to bite back a grin. It was like they were newly engaged again, and he was an adorable, nervous young man trying not to scare her. She would never stop loving that boyish face. She slid her hands along his chest and let her tongue drag along the crook of his neck, until she was rewarded with a desperate moan. He raised his head, and she could see that his nerves had dissipated, replaced with a haze of desire.

“Fine then, I’ll just make sure you’re very, _very _comfortable before we try anything new,” he said, as he began to trail his mouth further and further down her body.

. . .

By the time she awoke the next morning, the sun was streaming so brightly that Anne could see flecks of dust dancing merrily through the air. She realized her back was still pressed against Gilbert, while his arm lay heavily over her waist. They hadn’t bothered fully unpacking after their exhausting night, so she was only wearing his shirt (she had acquired the habit of stealing his clothes to wear when she was alone years earlier) and he was wearing nothing. She turned over to watch his blissful, sleeping face, but soon she had other ideas.

Gilbert awoke to the feeling of her hands sliding slowly over his stomach and hips, and his eyes flew open just as she stradled him.

“Good morning,” his bride greeted him sweetly.

“Sweetheart, you can just rest,” he said, trying to stay casual even though he knew she could feel his response to her attentions.

“And if I don’t want to?” she replied, starting to undo the buttons on his shirt. He didn’t bother answering; he didn’t need to. They both knew the answer would always, always, be the same.

. . .

Roy did not hear from Anne for a few months following the wedding. He supposed that the newlyweds were busy setting up their household, and Anne had grand plans for a new book and a series of newspaper articles on public health, to bring more attention to Gilbert’s latest research. He finally received his usual Christmas greeting from her, and found himself staring in shock at her announcement, nearly at the end of the letter, that she was expecting a child. Few things in life surprised Roy, and he supposed this news shouldn’t have surprised him either, but he was not at all prepared. He tried to be happy for her, as best he could, but some days it was a struggle. As though he needed more evidence that darling Anne was, really and truly, Gilbert’s after all.

Moping wasn’t exactly Roy’s style, though, so he turned his attention from his melancholy to a favorite activity – irritating Gilbert. Along with his adoring and excited letter to Anne, he sent a letter to the father-to-be.

_Gilbert, my friend,_

Gilbert still preferred not to be friends with a man who would like to see his wife nude, but at least the jackass had returned to Europe where he could only be so annoying.

_I hear felicitations are in order. I am to understand that the babe will arrive in early summer, which has me doing a bit of math (a pity, I prefer to leave such mundanities to my man of business). Did you leave her alone for a single night after your wedding?_

Gilbert couldn’t bother to be upset about that question, since he had not, in fact, left her alone for a single night. It was fortunate for Roy that he never did see the devilish grin that Gilbert wore as he read the letter, for he didn’t actually want to know the specifics, not where Anne was concerned.

_Honestly, might I suggest a hobby instead? Chess? Card games? Baseball?_


	18. Roy Is a Good Friend, After All

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I'm very, very sorry to do this to you. :(
> 
> The next one will be happier, I promise. Gilbert and Roy will remain frenemy pen pals until the bitter end.

Early summer arrived, however, not with a joyous event, but with a night of pain and terror. Gilbert had watched, helpless and terrified, as he nearly lost his wife just as his father had lost his mother. Then, even as he feared that Anne was still not out of danger, he realized in an instant that their newborn daughter would not survive the day.

Anne wrote Roy as soon as she was able, afraid that otherwise he might not learn the truth and would make the mistake of sending a toy store full of gifts or something else equally upsetting. The letter back came lightning fast by special courier. While Roy might not know the pain of losing a child, he knew wholeheartedly the pain of unexpected, tragic loss, and his letter was full of empathetic grief that soothed her wounded heart. He was equally kind and generous in his comments about Gilbert, knowing the man must have been equally in agony and knowing that Anne must have been worried about him, as well.

Anne was still confined mostly to bed and did not know that a separate letter had arrived addressed only to Gilbert.

_Blythe, _

_I can only imagine how much you are thinking of Anne in this moment (as am I), but I truly hope you are looking after yourself. I have learned only a little of the danger she was in during the birth, and even learning of it from Anne herself and with full knowledge that she recovered, I have rarely felt such acute pain and terror. I pictured you, in those awful hours, and my heart aches imagining what you must have felt._

_I think you should know that her letter to me was full of nothing but pure love and admiration for you. I worry that you blame yourself (knowing as I do that you are far too serious and take the weight of the world on your shoulders). _

It was still annoying that Gardner, a man he didn’t particularly like, seemed to know him far better than was really fair.

_You should not, and she does not. You are an excellent husband to her, and I have no doubt you will continue to be. I hope you know during these dark days that even a man like me, who is mostly inclined to find your faults and gently (well, perhaps not so gently) mock them, finds you admirable and wishes that you will find your way back to happiness and peace._

Gilbert had held himself together for weeks, focused only on Anne and her recovery. She was still weaker than he would like, and he felt every day as if an elephant had come to reside permanently on his chest. The pain and guilt had not subsided since that endless night. Somehow, oddly, the knowledge that Roy Gardner, who hardly ever gave him a break, sympathized with his sorrow, finally crumbled through the last of his restraint, and he sobbed.

He went upstairs to Anne when he had collected himself. She saw that his eyes were tinged red and worried that some new agony had come their way. He merely settled on the bed next to her and stroked her face as their foreheads rested together. “I cannot imagine my life without you,” he said simply. She nodded.

“You don’t have to imagine; I’m right here and I’m not going anywhere. I am far too stubborn for that,” Anne replied, firmly but tenderly, as she let a weak smile cross her features for the first time in weeks. They finally let themselves weep together and ended up wrapped in each other’s arms as the sun sank over the horizon.

“I really believe there will be other children for us in the future,” she said.

He nodded but he couldn’t even think of that right now. It would take some time for him to gather the courage to take that kind of risk. “As long as my future is with you. Lovely Anne,” he kissed her once. “Beautiful Anne,” he kissed her again. “My Anne,” he kissed her more deeply now. They reveled in the joy of simply holding each other and kissing, finally believing that there were more days of happiness ahead of them.


	19. Gilbert Loves His Hobbies and Roy Hates Them

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Roy thinks Gilbert should find something else to do with his time besides getting Anne pregnant

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope my lovely commenters know just how much I appreciate hearing from you. You're the reason I kept writing after I thought I was done with this one. I hope you enjoy one last installment of Roy and Gilbert as frenemy penpals!

When they were finally ready to try again and discovered they were expecting Jem, Anne shared her excitement, and apprehension, in her next letter to Roy. This time, there were no jokes back to Gilbert, as Roy expected that Gilbert was just as overwhelmingly anxious as Roy himself and would not be receptive. Though it took him several drafts to write another sincere letter to Gilbert, of all people, he decided it would be appropriate to offer a few words of hope and encouragement. As it was, Roy had never been so distracted as he was those few months, hoping desperately that Anne’s previous trial had been merely a stroke of bad luck that would not return a second time. He didn’t know how his darling Anne would manage another tragic loss, and more to the point, he wondered how either he or Gilbert would survive if Anne were taken from this world in the process.

Finally, the blessed event came, and Roy finally breathed a sigh of relief when he received a telegram from Gilbert, with news that both Anne and their baby boy were well (it occurred to him later that it was surprisingly kind of Blythe to end his unease so quickly, rather than making him wait several more weeks for a letter). Anne’s letter arrived shortly thereafter, recounting her unsurpassed happiness and love for her tiny son.

_He has red hair, poor little thing. Gilbert is thrilled about it, but I can’t help but worry that the boy will be in for a lifetime of teasing. He has Gilbert’s hazel eyes, though, so thank goodness for that._

When Roy received another letter, less than a year later, announcing that they were expecting Walter, he could not stop himself from writing directly to Gilbert again. This letter featured a detailed description of the wonders of bowling (as a bonus, most people bowl at night, he offered helpfully).

Gilbert didn’t bother sending an entire letter just to respond to Roy’s nonsense, but as was his habit these days, he included a short greeting at the bottom of Anne’s letter (the jackass had been kind to him once, after all, so it only seemed fair). After updating Roy on Delly’s impressive academic progress, he added:

_As you might imagine, I enjoy my current hobbies just fine, but thanks for the suggestion. I gave it the serious consideration it was due._

Roy laughed aloud at that, picturing Blythe tearing his letter into tiny pieces.

Then, an alarmingly short time later (so it seemed to Roy), he received an astonishing letter from Anne, sharing her elation that she had been delivered of twin girls!

Twins?! He cursed Gilbert for a few minutes for putting his darling Anne through such an arduous ordeal _four times in five years_, and wrote another letter.

This one was short and to the point.

_Blythe,_

_Twins? This is getting out of control. _

Already sleep deprived Gilbert was not about to let that letter pass unanswered.

_Gardner,_

_Any father of infant twins already knows that things are out of control. We don’t need anyone else pointing it out._

Like clockwork, another letter to Gilbert arrived shortly after Shirley’s birth.

_Blythe,_

_I recall you previously said that things were out of control, yet here we are again. Might I suggest deep sea fishing? Something that takes you far away from Anne for many weeks at a time? I begin to wonder if even that would work._

By the time Roy learned that Rilla had joined the family as well, he was despairing to come up with ideas.

_Good God, man, aren’t the previous children hobby enough? How do you even have the stamina? I thought no man could outdo my proclivities, but I am really starting to wonder about you._

_For Anne’s sake, I am no longer regretful that the two of you had to wait so long for your wedding. God only knows how many more times I would have had to write these letters otherwise…_

Gilbert would have let the letter go with little more than a slightly annoyed chuckle, as he often did with Roy’s letters these days, were it not for the postscript.

_PS – as soon as this damned war is over, I am moving back to Canada. I have seen enough strife across this landscape to last me a lifetime. How do you feel about acquiring a new neighbor?_

Gilbert could only hope that Roy’s last question was rhetorical, but he suspected it was not.

**Author's Note:**

> I think this is really it, for now, unless I get some inspiration. In my head, Anne and Roy really have been collaborating on some photojournalism for WWI, and Roy needs to come back to Canada to clear his head because the war is (unsurprisingly) terrible. He does move close to the Blythe family and Roy/Gilbert become the world's strangest friends.
> 
> Also, I think in my world Cole now lives nearby, with his "gardener", and Gilbert has started quietly sending kids who are being abused by their parents (which he sees as a doctor - I think he eventually becomes more patient-oriented) when they are seen as "different" to live with Cole, much as Aunt Jo did for him. Anne is right there helping Cole and the "gardener" with their acquired collection of kids who need love and acceptance. Roy is totally cool with this idea and helps fund the kids through school.


End file.
